One Way Or Another
by ghostgirl19
Summary: It was in that moment, as he held her hand to his lips, he knew he had to have her. One way or another. (Companion story to 'On The Prowl')
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Greetings! So, for those that are new, this is a companion fic to my other story, 'On The Prowl'. It's the same story only in a different person's pov. You don't have to read that to read this, although I recommend it. For those of you that have already read 'OTP' (lol, funny how the initials are otp...one true pairing...I'm gonna stop now) I hope you enjoy this :)**

 **But before we go to that fateful night, when the stars aligned and our lovely heroine and sinister criminal had their first encounter, we need to go back to a rather bleak time in the life of 13-year old Adrien Agreste. You ready?**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

"Father?"

Adrien knew he shouldn't be intruding in his father's office, he knew that his request would get a firm refusal. It's been refused ever since he could remember. But this was a new point in his life, the start of growing up. He was a fresh teenager, he needed to have friends.

Gabriel looked up from the papers on his desk, icy blue eyes not thawing in the slightest as he scrutinized his only son.

"You know I'm busy, Adrien."

The young blond gulped. "I-I know-"

"Then why are you here?" His cold voice asked sharply.

He's 13 now, he's not a baby anymore. He had to take charge. So, with a deep breath, and a quick prayer to his mother to _please_ let him change his mind, he spoke.

"Father...I'm going to be starting ninth grade soon."

The renowned fashion designer only raised an eyebrow, his mouth not lifting from it's tight line except to speak. "I'm aware."

 _I can do this, I can do this_ , he chanted to himself. "And I'm also 13 now."

"Did you come in here to tell me facts that I already know?" His father asked, eyebrows furrowing in growing annoyance. "If so, then you can go to your room. I don't have time for this nonsense."

 _You don't have time for you own son?!,_ Adrien wanted to scream at him, but held it back. He cleared his throat and continued as calmly as possible. "Father, don't you think it's time that I made some friends?"

"You have friends, like Chloe and the other models you work with."

Adrien grimaced. Lately, whenever he saw Chloe, she started fluttering her eyelashes at him and puckering her lips. She had grown fond of kissing his cheek. At first he tolerated it, because he didn't exactly know what was going on, but when he figured out the reason he shied away and kept her back. He had decided that Chloe was only a friend to him, albeit a selfish, vain, and bossy friend, but a friend nonetheless. A friend who he wasn't interested in romantically pursuing.

From time to time he'll model with other people. He got along with them for the most part, but he found them more often than not having the same attitude as Chloe, which was a major turn-off for potential friendships. Whenever he worked with them, he had to grin and bear it, putting on his best smiles so the photo shoot would end faster and he could go home. Being alone was better than being with those people.

He wanted a real friend, someone who didn't associate him with euros and fame. And what better place than Collège Françoise Dupont? There had to be someone who would appreciate and truly like him there.

"No, Father. I-I want to make _actual_ friends. I-" This was it. There was no going back now. "I want to go to school."

Gabriel's eyes narrowed. "Out of the question."

His son mirrored his expression, only with harsh green irises. "Why not?"

"Because I know what's best for you. Nathalie is giving you the best schoolwork in the city, you're years ahead of those regular children."

"But why can't _I_ be like those regular children? I appreciate what Nathalie has done for me but-"

"You are _my_ son, Adrien," Gabriel snapped. "You are not a regular person. You will stay in this house, where I can keep an eye on you and away from the outside world."

Adrien's fists clenched. "Keep an eye on me?" he scoffed. "You don't even take care of me! It's been a week since I've even _seen_ you!"

"That's enough!" Gabriel barked, icy orbs flashing in warning. "You will not speak to me in that tone. How dare you say that I don't take care of you. Who put a roof over your head? Who gave you everything you could ever want? You feeds you? Clothes you? Tell me, Adrien, who does that?"

Adrien's shoulders slumped. "You," he muttered, defeated.

"I thought so. Now go to your room, I have work to tend to."

Adrien lifted his head one last time to gaze at his father. But the man's head was already bent down, pen flying across the paper as he most likely signed something.

The model sighed. "Yes, Father."

Silently he walked out of the room, closing the door gently and trying to keep the tears at bay. Nathalie waited for him, that permanent frown on her lips as her cold eyes regarded him. However, at the blond's gloomy expression, they softened. Just a bit, but it was more than what his father's ever did.

"He knows what's best for you, Adrien. He's your father."

He hung his head back down. "I know."

"Go to your room. Dinner will be at five."

"Yes, Nathalie."

The blond trudged to his room, his steps as heavy as ever before. When he got there, he felt it safe for the hot, angry tears to spill down his cheeks. He wanted to scream, kick something, punch something, just do something to let out all the anger.

Instead, he took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He was 13, a teenager. He wasn't a baby. Babies threw temper tantrums, not him. It was bad enough he was already crying.

Using the back of his hand to wipe away the tear trails, he walked to his computer chair and shook the mouse to refresh the screen. He idly clicked the internet icon, leaning his chin on his palm. Maybe there would be something new to see today.

He blinked when he came across a news article, detailing the newest crime committed by The Mime. This time he robbed an electronics store, stealing merchandise worth hundreds. The security footage showed him holding up the place with a gun devoid of color with the people then dropping to the ground with their hands behind their heads in surrender.

The Mime then grabbed as many electronics as he could, then ran out of the store. Police have yet to catch him.

In the middle of the written article was a grainy picture of the criminal himself, face painted and lips tugged down in that ever-present frown.

Adrien snorted. "If I was a criminal I'd at least smile for the camera."

The amusement died as he continued staring at the picture. What must it be like, to do whatever you want, whenever you want? Go wherever, whenever you want? To be able to don a disguise, traipeze your way in the day or night, without anyone none the wiser of your identity.

Despite being criminals, they had more freedom than law-abiding Adrien Agreste ever had.

If he was a criminal, he mused, he'd use it to his advantage. He'd model by day, run through the city and steal at night. He'd grin and laugh with the breeze flowing through his hair, he'd wander the city, not worrying about shadows lurking in the dark because he'd be one of them. He'd read about himself the next day in the news and be silently prideful of his work.

Plagg, his loyal cat, chose that moment to leap on the computer desk, startling Adrien from his daydreams. He rubbed his head on the blond's arm, indicating he wanted attention. He huffed but smiled as he scratched underneath the feline's chin, eliciting a deep purr from the black cat.

He returned to his previous thoughts as he absentmindedly stroked the cat's soft fur. To blend in with the shadows, the color black would work best, he supposed. As black as Plagg's fur. The whole outfit would be black, a sleek and well-fitted material so his limbs could easily move. It would have to feel like a second skin.

But what would his name be? A costume that's all black, with a black mask...

He stopped his hand's movements, drawing away to look at Plagg in deep thought. The cat gave a displeased meow, upset by the lack of petting, but Adrien ignored it.

A black cat. Yes...that could work. Cats were notorious for bad luck, and he supposed he'd be bad luck to the city.

Plus, he thought with a scowl, he had to have the worst luck to be Gabriel Agreste's son.

Adrien shook his head furiously. What was he thinking? Becoming a criminal? Ridiculous, impossible! He'd be arrested and stuck in jail for the rest of his life.

Although, hadn't he been living in a prison for 13 years now?

He paused before shaking his head again. No. It was absolutely ridiculous, he would not become a lawbreaker. Nope. Never.

His eyes caught a new article on the screen, showcasing a new jewel brought to the Louvre just today. It was extremely rare, and extremely expensive.

There was also an extreme chance that someone would want to get their hands all over it.

Not him, of course.

There was a rumor in the city, one he'd overheard during breaks at photo shoots, that many of the well-known criminals all operate under one main crime lord. If he could meet him-

No. Absolutely not. Why did he keep thinking of this possibility? This horrible, unethical, despicable...freeing, enticing, tempting...

Adrien grit his teeth and let out a frustrated growl. He kicked his chair back and stomped to the couch, unintentionally scaring Plagg, the latter letting out a violent warning hiss.

Someone would be at the Louvre to no doubt get that precious gem.

And Adrien wasn't going to wait for them and ask to take him to their boss. They'd most likely shoot him before he could get a word out.

Not going to happen.

He groaned and flopped back onto the couch cushions. Plagg, seemingly having forgiven him, hopped on top of his stomach and curled into a ball.

Adrien rubbed the fur behind the cat's ear. "What do you think, Plagg? Should I become...le Chat Noir, and be a criminal?"

The feline looked at him with disinterested green eyes.

"I mean, yes, I'll have my freedom, but it's dishonest. I can't do that. Besides, I can get my freedom when I'm 18 and I move out." He frowned. "Which is in five years, but that's not that long, is it? And besides, I can't just go waltzing throughout the city. I have no experience! Even though I'm a top fencer and received a black belt in karate...no, Plagg. I can't, right?"

For some strange, illogical reason, the cat didn't speak.

"You know what?" The blond decided, green eyes hardened in determination. "I'm going to do it. I need to live a little. To take a risk, disobey my father. I'll go insane if I have to spend another five years trapped here. You agree with me, don't you?"

Plagg yawned and turned his head away.

"I mean, I won't kill anybody. I won't hurt people, I'll just take their stuff! Yeah, not too bad. I'll be fine. Right, Plagg?"

The cat's body gradually moved up and down, indicating that he had fallen asleep.

"Right. I'll go out tonight and see if I can meet with someone that wants to steal the gem. I'll be fine."

Adrien fondly smiled at his pet, deciding to not get up from the couch lest he wake the cat. When he woke up, Adrien would give him a whole wheel of Camembert cheese, his favorite.

...

Adrien stood in the mirror, regarding his look. He was wearing a baggy, black hoodie (that he had to turn inside-out because of the Gabriel logo) accompanied by blue jeans and sneakers. He wanted to keep his head down at all times, so no one would see his face, but figured a mask wouldn't hurt, just in case something happened. He ended up cutting a strip of fabric off one of his black shirts and cut two holes in it, making it an effective eye mask.

"How do I look, Plagg?" Adrien asked the cat, striking into a modeling pose that he had performed dozens of times.

Plagg meowed and turned away from him.

"Great! Wish me luck."

Without looking to see his pet's reaction, he quietly opened the door and tip-toed to the foyer. It was past midnight, everyone was already asleep.

When he got there he pressed his hand to the security pad. His father had only programmed his son's hand print in case an emergency happened and his father couldn't get to him.

 _Well_ , Adrien thought with a sly grin, _I guess my freedom can be counted as an emergency_.

In no time he was out the door and out the front gates, speeding to the famous museum.

...

After walking around the closed museum building for more than ten minutes, Adrien finally found one, unlocked door. Praising the heavens for his luck, he ventured inside the dark place, careful of any security lasers or something like that.

After walking through a few rooms, devoid of the new gem, the soft sounds of footsteps reached his ears. He paused to take a breath, knowing this was a crazy plan but hopeful that it would work, anyway. Finally, before the opportunity passed him by, he walked in the next room.

He recognized this particular man to be Jackady, the top criminal in the city, notorious for hypnotizing people into doing his bidding and unleashing the occasional explosive.

On a side note, it's been known that he's the greatest when it comes to card tricks.

At the sound of Adrien's entrance the criminal froze, hand just hovering over the glass case the priceless jewel sat inside in.

"This is my heist," the man hissed threateningly. "Steal something else."

"I'm not here to steal," Adrien answered calmly, not lifting his head. "I'm here to ask you a question."

He paused. "What kind of crazy are you? Get out of here!" he whispered harshly.

"Not until you agree to take me to your boss."

He lifted his head a smidge, just enough to take in Jackady's reaction. He blinked in astonishment, before choking with desperately-attempted stifled laughter.

"Take you to the boss? Just who are you, boy?"

Adrien mentally cursed his shorter height, for that must be the reason why Jackady thought him to be a mere boy and not a man. A man would've been more intimidating. A man would've gotten what he wanted, no questions asked.

He hardened his voice. "My name doesn't matter. I just want to join you."

"Join me?" he repeated, chuckling. "And why would I let some strange boy join me?"

"Listen," he began, growling. "I can be a valuable asset to your crime ring. Just give me a chance."

"Sorry, kid," Jackady mock apologized. He used a tool to cut into the glass and safely remove the gem. "I'm not in the recruiting business."

"How about this?" Adrien began, losing hope along with patience. He was going to meet this crime boss, damn it. He didn't just risk his neck by sneaking out of his house and into the Louvre for nothing. "If I can get that gem off you, you'll take me to the boss."

Jackady snickered, throwing the jewel casually into the air before flawlessly catching it. He twirled it around in his green, gloved hand. "Alright, boy. If you can somehow get this gem off me, I'll take you to my boss."

Adrien smirked from beneath the hoodie's cover. He shifted into a fighting stance.

"Oh, so you're not going to try to pickpocket me, eh? Going for old-fashioned violence?" Jackady asked lightly, a grin in his voice.

"I think this way will be more efficient," Adrien answered, finally lifting his head to see his target.

"Alright, boy. Let's see what you got. But make your defeat quick, there'll be a security guard coming around here soon enough."

Adrien didn't waste time to lunge at him, a fist directed at his face. Of course the criminal effortlessly dodged, sidestepping out of the way to gaze at his attacker with what looked like shock.

"Not bad," Jackady commented with barely disguised awe.

"Want to skip this and go back to the boss now?" Adrien asked with a grin, already knowing the answer.

"Oh no, boy. The fun has just begun!"

The two engaged in the fight again, though it was soon made apparent that the younger man had more skills when it came to combat. At last, Adrien was able to emerge victorious, when he plucked the gem from the inner pocket of Jackady's vest with the latter on the ground.

"Looks like I win," Adrien gloated with a smirk. He eyed the panting criminal that was sporting a bruising eye and split lip. "Now, at the expense of sounding like a bad science fiction movie," he leaned down closer to him, "take me to your leader."

...

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Jackady grumbled as he pressed the panel on the wall to reveal the hidden staircase. "Hawk Moth is going to kill me." He paused, stealing a look at the quiet boy whose head was bent down. "Or you."

"I'm confidant he wouldn't want to kill someone who was able to steal this," Adrien replied, taking the jewel from his pocked and twirling it around in his fingers.

"I did all the work," Jackady retorted as they began to descend the steps. Adrien could faintly hear jazz music being played.

"Yes, because me having to fight you in order to bring me here didn't require any work at all," Adrien huffed, rolling his eyes. "Then again," his lips curled into a wicked smirk, "it wasn't _that_ hard to get the gem off you."

"My patience with you is running thin," Jackady growled.

"Aw, and here I thought you liked me!"

"You better not try that attitude with Hawk Moth. He'll rip that tongue right out of your mouth."

Adrien placed a hand over his heart. "I knew it. You do care about me."

Jackady shook his head while giving a frustrated growl. Adrien gave a smug grin and continued following him. By now, the jazz music had been getting louder and louder, until finally they arrived at the door frame. Adrien raised his head just a bit to see the burly bouncer.

"Who's this?" He asked gruffly.

"He's with me," Jackady said simply, although the tone betrayed his annoyed state.

After a second the man let them through. Jackady took him towards the back, along the way Adrien could see many tables with men and women eating, drinking, and laughing. A neon sign was lit above the stage where the band was playing, reading 'Akuma'.

The model turned his head away to return his focus on Jackady. The latter took him up a set of stairs, down a hallway, and outside a wooden door.

Jackady visibly swallowed before raising a gloved hand to knock.

"Come in," a cold, masculine voice responded. Normally, Adrien guessed it would've sent a shiver of fear through him. But after hearing his father speak in that kind of tone for so many years, it hardly bothered him.

Jackady opened the door, and the pair walked in. Adrien rose his head a little to make out a man with a purple and black suit, wearing a silver head mask sitting behind a desk. His back was ramrod straight as he sat in his chair, his cold, grey eyes were calculating as they observed the two males.

"What is it, Jackady?" The man, who Adrien presumed to be Hawk Moth, asked.

"This boy wanted to meet you, boss."

Hawk Moth's eyebrows raised from beneath his mask, before his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed into a scowl. "And you just bring in any random boy who wants to meet me?" The question was purely a warning.

"He-He says he wants to join us," Jackady stuttered.

Adrien remained visibly calm.

"Join us?" Hawk Moth repeated. Adrien couldn't decipher what kind of tone it was. Interested? Disbelieving?

"Yes," the blond spoke up. "I would like to join you."

Hawk Moth paused. "Jackady, leave the room."

Adrien felt a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck, kid." And with that, the door opened, Jackady stepped past him, and was out the door.

Adrien held back a chuckle. He knew Jackady was starting to like him.

"Sit," the boss ordered. Adrien complied, sitting in the only chair in front of his desk.

Hawk Moth steepled his fingers together, eyes appraising the hooded boy. "How old are you?"

"I'm 13, sir."

"13," he repeated, almost in awe. The man released a snicker, that this time, _did_ send a shiver of fear down Adrien's spine. Cold, emotionless voices he could handle, but laughter? He wasn't prepared for that.

"13...such a time in a youth's life. The brain is at such a delicate and malleable phase." He stopped talking to chuckle again.

Adrien swallowed his nerves.

"Although, 13 is rather young to be in this line of work. Why should I take you on?"

The blond said nothing, only reaching into his pocket and tossing the priceless gem to him. It clattered to the desk, Hawk Moth stared at it with astonishment written clear on his face.

"Is that-?"

"Yes," Adrien interrupted. "Though Jackady actually stole it, we made a deal that if I can steal it from him, he'd take me here to see you."

Hawk Moth didn't say anything, only picking up the gem and observing it from every angle. Adrien did his best to not fidget in his seat.

Finally, Hawk Moth returned his gaze to him. "I can see you're serious about this."

"Would anyone who isn't serious do all that just to see you?"

"I suppose not. What do you want, boy?"

"I want freedom," Adrien immediately answered.

Hawk Moth laughed, rearing his head back and cackling. "Freedom?!" He quickly sobered and leaned his head closer to Adrien, face devoid of it's previous amusement. "All teenagers want _freedom_ , and here I was thinking that you might actually be different. Run along, before I change my mind and just kill you here and now."

Adrien's teeth clenched in anger. Before he knew what he was doing he had stood from his chair, knocking it to the floor, and slamming his hands on the wooden desk. He brought up his head just enough so Hawk Moth could see his blazing green irises.

"Listen," he hissed. "I didn't just risk my life to see you just so you can turn me away. You're going to bring me on to help, I'm going to steal everything you damn well please, and I'm going to finally be able to do whatever I want, whenever I want. Whatever I steal will be completely yours, I want nothing of it. All I ask is that you supply me with whatever I'll need to be a criminal. Now, Hawk Moth, does this sound like a fair deal? You bringing me on so I can steal whatever the hell you want, letting you keep all of it, while you only provide me with freedom and supplies in order to achieve your goals?"

Hawk Moth blinked in surprise, not expecting the blow-up from the young teen. Normally he'd shoot a man who would dare speak to him like that but this boy...it was impressive, to be honest.

"You want nothing?" Hawk Moth questioned, still surprised about that particular detail. "Not even a little bit?"

Adrien shook his head, having calmed down enough. "Nothing. I don't need it."

Hawk Moth tilted his head. A young teen who was able to defeat Jackady, stand up to Hawk Moth, and offer to steal for him and get practically nothing in return? Plus, he would be lying if he said he didn't see potential in him.

"Alright, I'll give you a chance," the crime boss said at last. "I'll give you a suit and anything you might need. But if you disappoint me..." He stood from behind his desk, staring down at the hooded boy. "Do not hesitate to think that I won't put a bullet through that teenage skull. Are we clear?"

Adrien nodded. "Crystal."

"Alright. Now, then." He sat back down. "Any particular theme of costume you thought of?"

"A black cat," Adrien replied without hesitation.

"A black cat," Hawk Moth echoed, chuckling. "Yes, I can see that. Any particular skills you have?"

"I know karate and I can fence."

"Well, you're not going to be carrying a sword by your side," Hawk Moth scoffed. "I'll have to think of something else."

The model quietly nodded.

Hawk Moth pursed his lips. "Come back next week, at 10. You'll have what you need along with your first assignment."

* * *

 **A/N: This honestly wasn't supposed to come out this soon. But I couldn't stop the creative juices from flowing xD Also, in the words of Geoffrey Butler, "I have no life." xD Another thing, I saw that On The Prowl got over 1,000 reviews :') You guys are the best! :D Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: O.O You guys responded well to the first chapter... Thank you! :)**

 **This is the last chapter for the backstory :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Next week, Adrien followed through with Hawk Moth's orders. He went back to Akuma at ten, telling the bouncer that the boss was expecting him. The guard moved to the side without another minute to spare.

Adrien walked past the many tables and chatting criminals, going up the staircase in the back to Hawk Moth's office. He knocked once, and after being granted permission to enter, pulled open the door.

He still kept his head bent down as Hawk Moth observed him with a grin. "Ah, nice to see you follow orders well, _Chat Noir_. I have your suit right here. You can go change in the back room."

Adrien took the pile of clothing in his hands. Wordlessly he went into the next room, which seemed to be a small storage room.

The model pulled back the hood and straightened out the outfit. A pair of gloves and a mask fell to the floor, prompting him to pick them up. The mask was thin and flexible, and on the back it was covered with a sticky substance. The gloves were made of the same leather as his suit, with sharp claws embedded in the fingertips.

Adrien grinned as he observed the suit. Sleek, black leather, with a front zipper and two side zippers, no doubt they were pockets. A belt was wrapped around the waist, but the end of it trailed to the ground, resembling a cat's tail.

Hawk Moth somehow made a cat costume look intimidating, the thought brought a pleased smile to his features.

Discarding his clothing, he quickly put on the leather catsuit. It slid up along his body easily, and was a perfect fit. It clung to his body, without it being too tight so that it would be uncomfortable. Next he put on the mask, then finally the gloves.

Adrien looked down at himself, flexing his newly-clawed fingers with a wicked smirk.

If only his father could see him now.

He ruffled his hair for good measure before deciding to abandon the clothes in the room. He walked back inside Hawk Moth's office, aware that he was barefoot. Surely he'd provide him with a pair of shoes to complete the outfit?

When he came in the boss's eyes widened, before they returned to their normal size. A rare, amused grin spread his lips.

"I pictured you as a brunet."

Adrien chuckled. "Sorry to disappoint."

Hawk Moth let out a snicker before shaking his head. "There's a couple more things for you." He reached into the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a pair of boots, with the toes a silver color and cut to resemble a cat's paw.

Adrien didn't wait for permission and simply tugged on the boots, finding they gave him a tiny boost in height. Hawk Moth then slapped some stiff, looking black things on the table accompanied by two bobby pins.

The blond tilted his head in question.

"They're supposed to be cat ears," Hawk Moth elaborated. He rolled his eyes. "My costume designer insisted I at least offer them to you."

Adrien laughed, finding that he rather liked the cat ears. He had the claws, tail, and paw boots, why not ears as well?

He picked one up and blindly attached it to his blond locks. He did the same with it's twin, hoping the completed look was satisfactory.

Hawk Moth looked him up and down, as though appraising an item before investing in it. Although, Adrien supposed, he guessed he was. If he didn't fulfill this assignment...

He didn't want to think of the consequences.

"Very nice. I see potential in you, Chat Noir. Now, let's get to business," his boss ordered, returning to his chair in his desk. Chat sat opposite of him, eyes eager to absorb the details of his first task.

"You will be robbing a pharmacy, tonight. You're only required to steal as many drugs as you can; those can go for a lot of money, you see. You will leave at midnight, since the store closes at 11. In the meantime you can get acquainted with people in Akuma, but don't forget your assignment."

Chat Noir nodded. "I won't forget, sir." Inside he was a giddy mess. Maybe he could actually make some friends!

"Which brings me to my last gift to you." Hawk Moth then bent down, reaching into another desk drawer. A few seconds later he drew out a gleaming, silver baton about the distance of Chat's elbow to his wrist.

Chat raised an eyebrow beneath the mask. "Um, am I supposed to twirl it, or something?"

He shrugged. "You can, if you want to. It can deflect bullets. But that's not all it's for. This is a very strong metal, you will be able to haul yourself from building to building by extending it. It can be used for combat, and..." He pressed a button, and Chat's mouth parted when he saw a tiny screen come out of it.

"It also works as a GPS, and of course a police tracker is built in it. The location of the pharmacy you're stealing from is already programmed. This is also how I'm going to be sending you your assignments. Think of it as a cell phone, only you can't call or text with it."

Without any more explaining he held it out to take. The budding thief took it from him, his mouth dropped further as he marveled at the technology of this baton. He pressed a tentative thumb on the largest pad of the glowing green paw print, and the screen vanished.

Chat Noir tilted his head in curiosity. This time he pressed one of the smaller pads, only to let out a surprised yelp as it violently extended to the roof, effortlessly shattering through the wood.

Hawk Moth growled and shook his head. "Great, just when I got the last one fixed."

Chat didn't question about the 'last one'. Instead, he sheepishly pressed another pad and the staff retracted back to it's original size. This was going to take some getting used to.

"Oh, one more thing." Hawk Moth held out his hand, displaying a rather bulky, black ring.

Chat furrowed his eyebrows, not knowing why he was giving him a ring, but took it nonetheless. When he flipped it around he saw that there was an emerald paw print in the center.

Hawk Moth shrugged. "Just an accessory to complete the look. Mime has his clear weapons, Jackady has his cards, you'll have your ring."

"Um, thanks." Chat shook his head, that wasn't what he wanted to say. "No, really, thank you. Thank you for giving me a chance."

"Don't make me regret it," he coldly threatened.

"I won't," Chat promised. He stood from his chair, baton in hand and ring on his right ring finger. "I'll bring back what I can, sir."

With that, he turned and left the office. He went back down to Akuma, he had plenty of time to kill before his first heist. He was going to try to take Hawk Moth's advice and attempt to befriend some of the criminals.

As his eyes surveyed the darkened room, they came across Jackady, who was leaning against the bar. He was chatting with a criminal he didn't recognize, sipping on a drink and laughing at whatever it was the other man said.

Chat Noir smirked and prepared to make his grand entrance.

"Hello, Jackady," he began smoothly, still wearing the wicked smirk.

The two criminals stopped their conversation and observed the newcomer. Jackady raised an eyebrow. "And who are you?"

"You don't remember the guy who gave you that black eye and bruised lip? My feelings are hurt." He mockingly placed a hand over his heart and puffed out his bottom lip, quivering it so it'd look like he was going to burst into tears.

Jackady's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets in his shock. His eyes darted over his new outfit. "Y-You're..."

"Chat Noir, now." He grinned. "Got my first heist tonight."

Jackady shook his head with a small smile. "I can't believe you convinced him to let you join." He hummed as he gave him another once over. "You do look the part of a criminal. I think you can become something one day."

"I'm touched," Chat teased.

Jackady rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Hopefully you're grow out of that attitude."

Chat scoffed. "I will never get rid of my _cat_ titude. It's what makes me who I am!"

The colorful criminal groaned. "Cat puns, now?"

Jackady's friend laughed, finally joining in on the conversation. "I like him! Name's Jared." He held out his hand for Chat to shake, which he did.

The man seemed like any other normal guy. Brown hair, brown eyes, no costume of any kind. He must not care about his identity being known, Chat concluded.

All of a sudden, the music ended and an announcer shouted that it was time for 'Lucie'. Immediately all of the men in the vicinity started hollering, making wolf whistles, and clapping. Some even tried to fix their appearance by smoothing down their hair or clothes so the wrinkles wouldn't show.

Chat turned his gaze to Jackady in utter confusion. "What's going on?"

Both Jackady and Jared wore matching, leering smirks. But only the former answered.

"Lucie is the most attractive singer here, boy. Perfectly able to satisfy a growing man's hormones." He snickered and returned his eyes to the stage to await this Lucie person.

Chat mentally scoffed. He was always around many different types of women because of being in the modelling business. He highly doubted this 'Lucie' could impress him so much that he became like all the vultures currently waiting in anticipation for her.

When the curtains opened, a tall woman stepped forward, flashing a smile and a wink at the audience. The men responded with more clapping and whistling, some even had their tongues hanging out!

Chat Noir smirked in amusement. Oh, yes, _that_ would certainly attract her.

The singer flipped her golden blonde hair over her shoulder. The music started, and soon she was singing her song. Chat admitted she was good, but her looks? She was pretty, yes, but he didn't feel any type of reaction to her. Even with her bouncing breasts, long and curvy legs and tiny waist he felt nothing.

He was interested in women, don't get him wrong, but he had yet to meet one that can charm him into oblivion. He chuckled quietly and shook his head, noting that the woman that could do that would probably have to be a goddess or something. Being in the modelling business made him practically immune to the fairer sex.

When the song ended and the curtains drew, hiding her away from view, the men grew louder in their shouts and claps. Chat Noir rolled his eyes, spying Jackady's abandoned drink on the bar counter in the process. He discreetly sneaked a sip before the older criminal could notice.

His eyes watered and he had to suppress a cough. Damn, that stuff was strong!

"So," Jackady turned to a red-faced, trying not to choke, Chat. "Was she all that you could ever want?"

He cleared his throat and shrugged indifferently. "She was okay."

Jared laughed at the careless answer. "I don't believe you. She's every guy's wet dream!"

Chat's lips pursed in disgust. Sex was a fairly new topic to him, so he didn't exactly need to hear that latest sentence.

He was saved by a beeping sounding from his baton. He pressed the largest pad on the paw print and the hidden screen popped up, showing it was now 11:40. He retracted the screen and turned to the two men.

"Well, gentlemen, it's been fun. But I've got a _fur_ macy to rob. _Cat_ ch you later!" He grinned, gave a two-fingered salute, and rushed out of the club.

...

This was easier than he thought.

In no time he had made it to the store, dropped in from the ceiling, grabbed a bag and began stuffing it with pill bottles with long and unpronounceable names. He took extra precaution and grabbed the tapes from various security cameras, then proceeded with stashing more drugs in the bag.

When he filled the plastic bag to the brim, he curiously walked over to the register and opened it. Figuring it wouldn't hurt, he grabbed the money and squished it into the bag, too.

This was ridiculously easy. The worst threat was the security cameras. No alarms, lasers, nothing! Maybe that's why Hawk Moth sent him here for his first heist.

He put his gloved hands on his hips, now bored. He didn't want to just leave yet, without the people in charge of the store knowing who stole from them.

He grinned as he spied a piece of paper with a pen not too far away.

 _ **Hello! It was truly a purrleasure to have this store as my first heist. You'll fur sure be hearing more furom me in the future. I hope mew don't mind the lack of purrscriptions, they simply had to go.**_

 _ **Till next time!**_

 _ **-le Chat Noir**_

...

Adrien grinned as he watched the news video the next day about the mysterious pharmacy robbing, committed by the even more mysterious 'Chat Noir'. It was concluded that this guy is new to the criminal world, but he won't last for long. Police will catch him in due time.

He snickered and rubbed a finger under Plagg's chin. "You wish."

...

Thus began his growing fame. Hawk Moth sent him on countless assignments, quickly considering the black cat to be his new favorite employee. With each heist the popularity of the other criminals dwindled, with Chat Noir taking their place. Soon, he even knocked Jackady of the top spot of most wanted and most feared.

While Adrien was nervous that the other criminals would take offense to this and dislike him, their actions were the opposite. Everyone grew to like him and they often competed with each other to so much as try to speak with him. Jackady didn't mind that Chat took over his spot, in fact, he was glad a 'rising star' (as he put it) was getting the fame and attention it deserved.

He and Jackady had bonded over the months, with the latter giving the former several tips on making robberies. Chat always listened with attentive ears and absorbing eyes.

"So, another school year is coming up," Jackady began, almost cautiously.

While Chat never gave out his name and other important information, he did disclose to Jackady that he didn't have the best home life, which prompted him to become a lawbreaker in the first place. He knew that Chat was home schooled his whole life and still yearned to go to public school.

"Yes," Chat Noir responded coolly. He took a sip of the martini in his hand before placing the glass back down on the counter. He tapped his claws against it, not meeting the older criminal in the eyes.

"Are you...going?"

Chat locked eyes with him and barked out a bitter laugh. "What do you think?"

Jackady shook his head with sympathy. "Sorry, kid. Hey, maybe if you bother your old man enough, he'll let you go?"

Chat exhaled through his nose in a mixture of amusement and annoyance. "Hell no. If I bother him he just sends me to my room, or orders his assistant to take care of me. I'll never be able to make friends. Well, friends my own age, that is."

Jackady paused for a moment before his lips curled into a sneaky grin. "Why don't you just sneak out, then?"

Chat rose an eyebrow. "Come again?"

He rolled his eyes. "You heard me, sneak out! You're the best criminal in the city, surely escaping your house can't be that hard. Just go to school that way."

The blond frowned. His eyes shifted from the martini glass to Jackady's eyes. "You really think it could work?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't."

Chat Noir shrugged and smiled. "Well, I guess it's worth a shot."

...

One failed escape attempt later, Adrien was sitting in his usual chair at the long, often empty dinner table. A stack of books were off to the side, a piece of paper in front of him and he was gripping the poor writing instrument in his hand with a death grip.

He was so close. So close! He was on the first step to the school when he heard the unmistakable limo's tires screech and Nathalie's stern voice.

And now here he was, back to listening to Nathalie's monotonous voice asking questions he knew every single answer to. He didn't hesitate to fire back his answers in the most bored, sour tone he could muster.

Paris's best criminal foiled by Nathalie Sancoeur. Honestly, she should sign up for the police force, she'd do a hell of a lot better job than them. Then again, if he was in costume, he could've just slashed her face and sprinted inside the school.

He sighed. No, he wouldn't do that. Nathalie, unlike his father, actually did care about him a little bit.

"Adrien."

The blond's head perked up at the sudden interrupted. Nathalie stopped her questions and faced the world famous fashion designer.

"Mr. Agreste."

Gabriel nodded in acknowledgement before turning his cold, blue gaze to his son. "Adrien, why did you sneak out?"

The model blinked. His father usually gave him orders, not questions. This was very unusual and truth be told, he had no idea of how to go along with this.

"Because I want to go to school," he answered honestly.

Gabriel, in a rare moment of weakness, let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose in between his fingers. "Why?"

"I want to make friends? I want a chance to live my life as a regular teenager?" Adrien was still baffled by this questioning. Was his father actually showing concern for him?

Gabriel sighed one more time before straightening his back and squaring his shoulders. "I suppose this strange desire of yours won't stop?"

Adrien slowly shook his head in the negative. "No?"

"Very well. I have given this a lot of thought, and I've decided that public school may be good for you after all."

Wait. What?!

"Of course, you will still continue your karate, fencing, piano, and Chinese lessons, along with your modeling. I also expect for your grades to be the best, if they go down I will not hesitate to put you back in a home schooled setting. You will be driven to and from school every day in the limo, with no complaints. Do we have a deal?"

Adrien's mouth dropped. He was finally getting what he wanted?

"Y-Yes!" The blond answered before the offer could be taken away. "Yes, we have a deal! Thank you, Father!"

A rare urge to run to his father and hug him coursed through his veins, but he kept his butt rooted to the chair, afraid of the rejection he'd surely get if he tried a foolish action like that.

Gabriel nodded. "Very well. You will start tomorrow."

...

Adrien excitedly bounded out of the limo the next day, green eyes alert and eager. Luckily, Hawk Moth hadn't sent him any new assignments to do last night, so he took advantage of it and went to bed early so he wouldn't be tired the next morning.

His mouth was in an open smile, like a kid in a candy store, as he walked through the halls. Finally, he was in a public school, with kids his own age! He was afraid if he pinched himself he'd wake up from this amazing dream.

Looking down at his schedule, he noted where his first class was. Smiling, he headed straight to the room, greeting anyone on the way that happened to look in his direction. He got a few strange looks on top of the shocked and awed expressions because of _the_ Adrien Agreste attending their school, but he took it all in stride.

When Adrien opened the door, his eyes surveyed the few students already in their desks. He smiled, but it dropped when he heard a very familiar voice.

"Adrikins!"

Yes, lately Chloe has been calling him that. He hated it with a fiery passion, but didn't complain about it. Too bad he couldn't summon that Chat Noir fear while in his civilian form, then she definitely wouldn't call him that anymore.

The blonde ran to him and practically tackled him, her lips dangerously close to his. He forced a smile and managed to hold her back. "Hi, Chloe."

"I can't believe you're finally going to school! Don't worry, I'll give you the grand tour and I'll be sure to tell you who to hang out with. I don't want you to accidentally talk to any losers!"

At that remark, Adrien noted that most of his new classmates glared down them. He gulped and took a step back out of her hold. "Uh, thanks Chloe, but that won't be necessary."

"You're so considerate, Adrien. We'll talk more later." Chloe blew him an air kiss before retreating to her best friend, Sabrina.

He spied a boy with headphones around his neck in the front row, seemingly minding his own business. Biting his lip, he slid into the bench and sat beside him.

The boy turned to him and rose an eyebrow. "Wouldn't you rather sit with Chloe?" He snapped.

Surprised, Adrien's eyes widened as he shook his head. "No, I don't."

"But you're friends with her, aren't you?"

He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, I've been home schooled my whole life so it was hard to make friends."

The boy's expression softened before he grinned. "Well, those days are over. Hi, I'm Nino." He held out a hand to shake.

Adrien smiled and took it gratefully. "Adrien."

Nino's eyes drifted past his shoulder, his once kind expression morphed into one of disgust. "Ugh, now that's just sick!"

Golden eyebrows furrowed as he craned his neck around to see what the problem was. Chloe and Sabrina were standing by the desk next to his, both laughing and looking down at a...pink, chewed up hunk of gum on the seat.

"Now it'll match those pants she likes to wear!" Chloe cackled.

Adrien's temper flared when he understood what was going on. He promptly stood from his seat and marched to the two girls.

"Really, Chloe? Putting gum on people's seats?"

"It's only Marinette." The vain girl rolled her eyes.

"Who's Marinette?" He asked, intrigued. He wondered what this girl did to get on Chloe's bad side. Although, knowing Chloe, it was probably for just existing.

"I am."

Startled, he turned around and was met by the most heavenly pair of blue eyes he had ever seen in his life. His breath caught as he stared into the warm depths. Models would kill for eyes like those, some even wore contacts in an effort to achieve that color, but he now realized it was pathetic compared to the real thing.

A smattering of freckles dotted across her button nose. Full, pink lips were formed into a scowl (why was that?) and her jet black hair was pulled back into twin tails. His fingers twitched, he wanted to know what that hair felt like in between them. It certainly looked silky smooth.

She was beautiful, no doubt about it. Beautiful, gorgeous, adorable...and angry.

He was jolted from his thoughts by that realization.

The girl, Marinette, looked from the gum on the seat to him. Chloe and Sabrina had left by now, leaving the blame on Adrien.

"Did you do that?" She demanded, pointing a finger at the offending gum. He liked her voice, it was high, but not overtly so, and smooth-

Focus, Adrien!

"Uh-what?" He asked stupidly. Later he would smack himself for that intelligent response.

"Did you put gum on my seat?" She seethed. Another girl with auburn hair materialized behind her. She scowled once she eyed the gum and Adrien.

"That's just disgusting," the new girl scolded, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "What are you, five? Who even are you?"

"I-I'm Adrien. And I didn't put gum on your seat, I swear!"

Marinette scoffed in disbelief. "Whatever. And you're Adrien? The same Adrien that Chloe's been talking about nonstop? Figures you'd be just like her." After that biting comment she shuffled around him to place a tissue on top of the gum. Then she and the new girl took their places in the bench.

"Marinette," Adrien tried again. "I'm telling you I didn't-"

Her sharp blue gaze snapped to his green. "I don't like lies. Just leave us alone."

The blond's shoulders sagged in defeat. He trudged back to Nino, who put a hand on his shoulder for comfort.

"Don't worry, dude. Marinette is the nicest girl in the whole school, she'll get over it."

Adrien didn't respond. He tried meeting eyes with her, but she only huffed in irritation and turned her head away. Behind him, he heard Chloe and Sabrina's snickers.

He closed his eyes and sighed. Maybe it was for the best that Marinette hated him. If Nino was right and she was the nicest girl in school, then she didn't deserve to be with a criminal like him.

...

Despite the gum incident, Adrien had a good first day of school. He made a few friends, he liked all his teachers, and so far the work seemed fairly easy. But those blue bell eyes kept popping back in his head, how they were narrowed in anger directed at _him_.

He frowned as he made his way out of the school, the sound of rain beating on the roof just background noise to his ears.

Adrien stopped as he saw the object of his thoughts. She was standing underneath the roof, holding out a hand to the rain before snatching it back.

He swallowed and walked toward her, umbrella in hand. She was here, alone. Maybe he could make amends? He didn't have to romantically pursue her, he could just be friends with her. Friendship was enough for him.

He opened the umbrella when he walked outside. He forced a smile on his face and waved at her in greeting, but she only made a noise in the back of her throat and turned away.

The blond sighed. "Listen, I didn't put gum on your seat, it was Chloe and Sabrina. Chloe's my friend, yes, but...I'm nothing like her. This is my first time at a school, my first time I'm ever able to make new friends. It's all so new to me."

Adrien smiled as an idea came to him, a way to officially mark the peace. He turned around and held out the umbrella to her, ignoring the way his hair and clothes were getting soaked.

Those beautiful forget-me-not eyes were wide with astonishment. Her lips were slightly parted, she didn't blink as she stared at him in wonder.

He waited patiently with a soft smile.

Slowly, she inched her hand up toward the umbrella handle. She paused, hesitating to take it, but eventually grabbed it. As she held it above her, her gaze didn't move from his.

That is, until the umbrella closed in on her.

Adrien balked in surprise, before a peal of laughter escaped his mouth.

He's laughed at news articles detailing the ways police were going to catch him, he's laughed at Jackady's crude jokes, but this was the first time in years that he's had an innocent, carefree laugh.

Marinette lifted the umbrella with a sheepish expression, cheeks stained pink as she let out the most adorable giggle he ever heard.

His heart nearly stopped at the beaming smile she presented him.

Before he could do something else to screw up this peace, he cleared his throat and smiled. "See you tomorrow."

He turned and walked down the steps toward the newly arrived limo. He heard her stutter a response before he was whisked away to a piano lesson.

* * *

 **A/N: I just love the umbrella scene :') Next chapter will be the start of 'On The Prowl' with a badass 16 year old Chat Noir ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Nnngh...A-Adrien!"

He smirked at her gasp, running a tantalizingly slow hand down her side, his fingers ghosting over the pink silk of her nightgown. His head descended to her lips to press a languid, passionate kiss.

When he pulled away he grinned with satisfaction. Full, pink lips swollen from his attentions, cheeks painted a rosy color, and midnight hair spread around the pillow like a dark halo. Her normally bright, sapphire eyes were half-lidded and darkened with desire.

He lowered his head again, only this time, he pressed feather-light kisses down the pale column of her neck. Her fingers found their way to his hair as he continued the trail, down her neck and towards her shoulder. He moved the silken strap to the side with his teeth before sinking them into her soft flesh.

She gasped and moaned, back arching slightly and fingers tightening in his locks. Adrien continued to bite and suck, swiping his tongue over the mark when he was done.

He kissed his way to the valley between her breasts, all the while his hands had never left her sides.

"Marinette," he purred, kissing her skin. She shivered in response.

"Je t'ai-"

 **"Awesome solo!"**

Adrien's eyes flew open as he bolted upright in bed. His heart pounded violently in his chest as he wildly looked about the room in a panic.

He sighed when he realized what was happening. Frowning, he turned the alarm off on his phone and laid back down. He really should get a new song to be his alarm, something less heart attack-inducing.

The blond groaned and covered his face with his hands. Another dream about Marinette, or more specifically, him and Marinette. He's been having them for awhile now, and unfortunately they don't seem to be going away anytime soon.

He supposed they wouldn't stop until he got over her. But, he knew, that wouldn't happen for a _long_ time. She was getting more beautiful by the day, and frankly, he didn't know how much longer he could hold himself back.

Adrien growled in frustration. He was Chat Noir, the most feared and wanted criminal in Paris. She didn't deserve to be with someone like him.

Banishing the 'what if' thoughts from his mind, he stood and began to get ready for another day of school.

...

After school, Nino briefly went to his house to work on the literature project with him. He had to leave after an hour to go to work, which Adrien understood all too well. With Nino gone he resolved to do more of the work himself.

Later that night, he walked in his closet to a small corner in the back. He removed the piles of clothing to uncover his baton.

Checking it, he noted that Hawk Moth didn't have any heists for him tonight. He could stay in if he wanted, go to Akuma, or just go for a night run.

He didn't feel a particular urge to play any video games, he's done more than enough work on the project, he was just at Akuma the night before...night run it is, then. Although he didn't mind the runs in the least, in fact, it was refreshing to soar through the wind and feel the breeze in his hair.

After calling out to Nathalie, telling her not to disturb him because he would be going to bed early that night, he suited up and pressed on his mask.

...

He grinned as he leaped over yet another building. He stopped to catch his breath, choosing to gaze at the lit-up Eiffel Tower and the glowing moon. He may steal from this city on a daily basis, but it was beautiful.

He flinched as he heard a small shriek. Curious, he looked down to see a man's hand latch onto a girl's arm and shove her into an alley, then proceeding to pin her to the wall.

He scowled in blatant disgust. He wasn't a fan of the lowlifes who used rape as a means to get a woman. The act was purely barbaric and disgusting.

Wait...was that...Marinette?!

He leaned forward from his perch on the building and squinted his eyes. It was hard to tell due to the darkness of the alley, he could barely make out the two forms.

Suddenly, he heard a man's howl of pain and the girl ran out of the alley, although she wasn't quick enough to escape. The man had her pinned against the wall again in record time.

He shook in fury. That split second she was out in the moonlit street allowed him to correctly identify her.

He extended his baton to land on the ground. Teeth bared, he stalked to the opening of the alley.

"-I'm going to tear your pussy apart and dump your body in the Seine when I'm done!"

Chat Noir let out a loud, threatening hiss at that statement. Not only did he know the victim, but now he knew the attacker.

He was going to sink his claws in that face by the end of the night.

Both Marinette and Jared turned toward him. Chat Noir let out a breath in an attempt to calm down. He had to catch this bastard by surprise, not allow him to think that he might turn on him.

He slowly stepped out of the shadows.

"Chat Noir," Jared breathed out in relief.

The blond mentally smirked at how wrong that reaction was.

"You scared me there! Look what I managed to get." His head gestured to the terrified black-haired beauty pressed against the wall. It was like he considered her to be a trophy, something that made his fists clench.

His green eyes flickered to Marinette. Her eyes were wide as they looked at him, pure terror in their blue depths. He would make this asshole pay for putting such an emotion in her eyes.

He fought against a frown, realizing that she was most likely scared of him, too. No wonder, Chat Noir _was_ the best criminal in the city. Why wouldn't she be afraid of him?

"I see," he spoke, allowing his voice to be coldly calm, not revealing any of his hidden anger. "Let me take a closer look at her."

"Be my guest. But be careful, she already tried to get away once. She's a fighter." Jared looked down at his hand and grimaced.

Chat chuckled, figuring she must have bitten it. Well done, Marinette.

He slowly sauntered closer to her, careful not to scare her. She trembled in his gaze as they were almost nose to nose.

He saw her eyes observe him. In turn, he appreciated the rare, close view he had of her. Those adorable freckles on her nose, heavenly blue orbs, full lips, button nose, long eyelashes, pink cheeks.

Cheeks that were getting pinker the longer they stared at one another.

He grinned at that, hoping she liked what she saw. He certainly did.

"She _is_ very pretty," he commented, meaning every word. Before he could hold himself back he placed the tip of a claw under her chin, gently tilting her head up. Her neck looked as pale and smooth to the touch as in his fantasies. He felt a surge of desire run through him as he spied the spot where he placed the love bite in his dream from the previous night.

"Sweet little thing, isn't she?" Jared's voice tore him from his lustful thoughts. "And she's all mine tonight."

 _Not even in your dreams, fucker._ Chat removed his finger from Marinette's chin and turned his attention to his new scratching post.

"Yeah, about that. I'd like to have her." His voice betrayed no emotion, no hint of the oncoming death sentence he'd soon bestow.

Jared gasped, clearly angry. "What?! I found her first!"

 _Actually, I found her first._ Instead of voicing that answer, he shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "I don't care."

Jared tensed, eyebrows lowered. "You can't just steal her away from me."

Was this guy for real? Chat Noir scoffed in amazement at this man's utter stupidity. "Do you forget you're talking to the best cat burglar and overall criminal in Paris? Stealing is what I do."

"You're not taking her," Jared growled. "I haven't had sex in weeks!"

Chat grinned as he lunged for him. He gripped the oncoming arm tightly, ripping it down out of his way and raised his leg to kick him in the stomach. Jared stumbled back, groaning in pain and bending over to clutch the injured area.

Chat wasn't finished with him, not at all.

Teeth bared in a snarl, he snapped his foot upwards to connect with Jared's chin. With his face in clear view, he drew his hand back and thrust it forward, making three deep, satisfying claw marks down his face.

Jared screamed in pain as he held his face. Chat Noir smirked savagely as he could see the first signs of blood escaping past his fingers.

He would love to continue this all night, but he had a girl to see safely home. So, finishing business (for now), he spun in the air and kicked Jared away from him. When he heard the crash of the trashcans, he returned his attention to Marinette.

She was staring at him, completely horrified. Hm, maybe he shouldn't have been so violent. There was always time for violence later, she shouldn't have had to see that.

She gasped as he took her in his arms and used his baton to propel them to the top of the building. He carried her a few rooftops over, closer to her home, before setting her down gently.

Marinette shivered as her eyes locked with his. He wanted nothing more than to remove the fear from those innocent blue orbs. It pained him that she was looking at him like that.

Maybe if he just played his words right...

"Now, you don't think I'm going to hurt you, do you? Princess?" He purred, lowering his voice to sound like he had in his dreams when he was with her. He smirked at the spur-of-the-moment nickname he thought for her. She was like a princess. Innocent, beautiful, kind...

Her eyes narrowed, taking a look of confusion. At least her fear seemed to go down a notch.

"Really," he continued smoothly. "I would hope you would have more faith in me after I just saved your life. It would've been _paw_ sitively horrible if I hadn't interfered."

She tilted her head inquisitively at him, the action making her look more adorable. "I...I-"

"Hm?" He hummed with a grin. He teasingly cupped a hand to his ear. "Go ahead, all my ears are listening."

She blinked, pausing for a few seconds, no doubt trying to find words. At last, she uttered a single word. "Why?"

He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "You'll have to be more specific, Princess. Cats can't read minds."

"I mean-" she stopped, shaking her head. "You're the most known criminal in Paris."

Chat Noir smirked, fully enjoying the little stroke to his ego. "A pleasure to meet me, I'm sure."

Marinette blinked, seemingly taken aback, before she asked her next question. "Why did you save me?"

"Despite my crimes, I do have a sense of morals," he informed her. It was true; he had never hurt a person during his escapades. "Besides, I couldn't let that disgusting piece of filth taint you. I wasn't lying when I said you were pretty." He winked flirtatiously at her, taking joy in the small blush that bloomed across her cheeks.

He shouldn't be flirting with her like this, but he'd worry about that later.

"But-uh-I-"

Geez, was that all it took to render her speechless? If he ever had the opportunity to do to her what he truly wanted to do, she would probably pass out.

"How about a thank you for your knight in shining leather," he interrupted, smirking.

"Thank you," she immediately blurted out.

Feeling bold, he slowly reached for her hand. When she didn't take it back, he lifted it to his lips in a warm kiss. He lingered for longer than normal before raising his eyes to her.

"You're welcome, Princess," he murmured. He let go of her hand and took a step back. "Now, while I do love calling you that, I would like to have a real name to know you by."

He felt stupid asking the question, but it was necessary. Adrien knew her, but _Chat Noir_ didn't.

Marinette hesitated, biting her lip and looking beyond wary. It hurt a bit, but it was understandable. If he was in her shoes he doubted he'd give up his name easily.

"If you won't tell me I have other means to get it," he lied. There might be a chance Hawk Moth could find out about her if he provided him with enough details, but other than that, there wasn't any way he could find out.

She rose an eyebrow. "Wh-What means?" She stuttered, something he's listened to numerous times while in his civilian form. For some reason, whenever Adrien would talk to her, she'd stammer and stutter and a lot of times, run away. He was always nice to her, he couldn't understand why she'd be like that. At one point he even suspected that she knew about his criminal life, but that option quickly went out the window. There was no way she could know.

"Nothing to worry your pretty head about," he drawled, flashing her a grin. "That is, of course, you _do_ tell me your name?"

"Marinette," she whispered at last.

He dropped into a gallant bow. "Chat Noir, a _purr_ leasure." As he raised from his position, a sudden question hit him. Why exactly was she even out here this late? He chose to ask her that.

"I was at my best friend's house. We were working on a project and we lost track of time. So I left and was on my way home and then that guy pulled me into the alley and, well, you know the rest." She awkwardly bent her head down to look at her shuffling feet.

A hiss escaped before he could stop it. Just the memory of Jared's hands on her made his temper rise to dangerous levels.

"Did he hurt you?" He bit out. If that son of a bitch harmed a single hair on her head... His claws twitched at the brutal scenarios that could play out.

Marinette brought up an arm and rubbed a spot on her head. "He pushed me into the wall when I tried to run, but I'll be fine," she answered timidly.

That's it. The bastard was going to die.

Chat walked closer to her, ignoring his previous cautions of potentially scaring her, and started inspecting her head for any obvious signs of injury. As his fingers moved strands of hair out of his way, he was careful to avoid accidentally scratching her.

"No blood," he concluded, almost breathing out in relief. "That's a good sign. You didn't pass out or anything, so I don't think you have a concussion. Then again, I'm not a doctor. Does your head hurt?"

He heard her try to stifle a giggle. What was so funny? "No, the spot just hurts a bit if you touch it."

Chat experimentally brushed a finger over the small bump. When she hissed in pain he jumped away as if she shocked him.

"Like that," she breathed.

It was getting late. She had to get home, and he had a man to sink his claws into.

"Where do you live?"

His expression darkened in hurt by her lack of answer. "I'm not going to rob you blind if that's what you're worried about," he growled. "Or come in the middle of the night and kill you." Didn't he already prove that he wasn't going to hurt her?

He crossed his arms and stared to the right, avoiding her eyes. What else did he have to do to make her believe he meant her no harm?

"Twelve Gotlib Street," came her soft voice.

He slowly inclined his head around to look at her. Her eyes, by now completely dried of her earlier tears, were swimming with hope and looked just a bit apologetic.

His lips stretched into a warm smile. She trusted him.

He grinned roguishly. "Then hold on tight, Princess."

The girl rose an eyebrow. "Huh?"

He answered her question by gathering her in his arms again, flipping her around to his back so she was clinging on to him, piggyback style.

As he vaulted through the air with the help of his baton, Marinette would tighten her hold on him whenever they'd make the descent. He smiled at the way she buried her face in his shoulder to avoid looking down.

At last they arrived at her bakery. He dropped onto the roof, chuckling when she didn't relinquish her hold on him. She didn't even look up.

"We're here, you can open your eyes," he spoke soothingly.

Marinette steadily raised her head. Her eyes darted about in confusion.

Wait. This was the right balcony, right? Yeah, there was the school to his right...

His pointless puzzled thoughts were cut off when she slid down his back. He took a step closer to the railings and dipped into a bow.

"Here you are, safe and sound, as promised."

Marinette smiled shyly, her fingers twisted together as she bit her lip. "Thank you. Really, thank you. My friends and parents would've been devastated if I never came back."

He tilted his head at the surprising statement before smiling. "That's one of the most selfless things I've ever heard." Did the list of her good attributes ever end?

Her eyebrows drew forward in uncertainty. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't mention how if you never came back, you wouldn't have been able to grow up, get a life, get married, and all that," he explained. "Your family and friends' feelings were your first thoughts."

"Well, how could they not be?" she asked. "They love me."

"Wish I knew the feeling," he muttered before he could stop himself.

Marinette frowned. "Chat?" She tried to extend a comforting arm to him but he shook his head.

"Nothing, Princess. Don't worry about it. I hope we meet again soon." He flashed her another grin before taking her hand and kissing the back of it.

It was in that moment, as he held her hand to his lips, he knew he had to have her.

One way or another.

With a two-finger salute and a wink, he leaped off her balcony, expression darkening as he headed straight for Akuma.

...

There he was.

Chat Noir's eyes narrowed as he silently stalked to his prey. He was leaning against the bar, chatting with Jackady.

With a hiss he grabbed him by the back of his collar and pushed him into the counter. He barely noticed Jackady stand and gawk at the display.

Jared's face paled, but out of the lower corner of his eye Chat noticed a peculiar gleam. His teeth bared as he snatched the approaching knife from Jared's hold and hurled it at the wall in front of him, the blade sheathing deep in the wood.

"I'm going to kill you," Chat Noir hissed. One set of claws was buried in Jared's neck, blood was already trickling down from the puncture wounds. He raised his other hand and dug his index finger into a scabbed claw mark in his face, effectively reopening the laceration.

"What's going on?!" Jackady asked in bewilderment. Other people were beginning to stare, but since Chat Noir was involved, they didn't interfere.

"He touched her," Chat seethed, reopening the other two marks on his face. Jared whimpered in pain, but he didn't give two shits about it.

"He hurt her," he added, squeezing his neck tighter, sinking his claws deeper and extracting more blood.

"He tried to _rape_ her. And now I'm going to kill him."

Jackady balked at this. He turned to a trembling Jared. "Of all the girls in the city, you go after Chat Noir's? Are you crazy?"

"I-I d-didn't know!" He choked out.

"Not my problem," Chat growled. "Now, just how should I kill you? Claw your face to shreds? Strangle you with my belt? Rip out your throat with my claws? Jackady, any suggestions?"

Jackady picked up his martini glass, eyes wide with nervousness. Anything could set off the feline criminal at this point. "Listen, Chat-"

"Hm, good idea," he murmured.

The older man's head tilted in confusion. Deciding not to elaborate, Chat Noir grabbed the glass from his hands and smashed the side of it against the counter. He raised the jagged edges to Jared's chin with a sadistic smirk.

Jared gulped and his eyes started to water. He shivered in pure fear, and Chat was enjoying every second.

"Chat," Jackady tried again. "Don't kill him."

"And why not?" He asked, voice deadly calm.

"Because you'll regret it."

"I don't think I will."

"Tomorrow you will. You've never hurt a person during your entire time as a criminal. Trust me, you don't want to do this."

Chat paused.

"Besides," Jackady drawled with a grin. "Do you really want to have poor Tikki clean up all the blood from the floor?"

Tikki was the kind, gentle older lady whose main job was to clean Akuma. Chat Noir instantly took a liking to the kind woman, finding she was like a mother to him. He couldn't bare for the sweet lady to have to clean up a gruesome blood bath.

Chat dropped the broken glass on the counter. He stared hard into Jared's wide brown eyes.

"If I ever see you here again, I will hunt you down and murder you. If I ever hear of _her_ seeing you again, I will hunt you down and murder you. Do you understand?"

Jared hurriedly nodded, although it was kind of hard since Chat's claws were still embedded in his neck.

Chat released him, Jared's hand immediately flew to his throat as he drew in panicked mouthfuls of air. The blond directed a fierce glare on him, prompting the lower thief to scamper away and out of Akuma.

He sighed as his anger slowly but surely melted away. Without the fury and adrenaline running in his veins, he was tired.

Jackady chuckled from his place next to him. "Jared told me a cat scratched him. He didn't tell me exactly _which one_ though."

The comment brought a small, amused smile to the blond's lips. He snorted and signaled the bartender for his usual.

"You know," Jackady continued, "Hawk Moth's probably not going to be very happy when he hears you chased out one of his employees."

Chat scoffed. "I didn't chase him out." He swallowed a mouthful of the drink presented to him. "I _threatened_ him, there's a difference. Besides, you know I can handle any of the small robberies Jared was assigned to if it comes down to it. He wasn't really important, let's be honest with each other."

Jackady barked out a laugh, shaking his head. "You're something, Chat Noir."

He smirked, teeth flashing. "Something bad, I hope?"

The magician snorted and took a sip of his own drink. He rose an eyebrow and grinned, leaning closer to his friend. "So, who is this girl you mentioned?"

"Nobody," he quickly responded, taking another drink. He wasn't exactly too keen on sharing details about the girl he's been in love with for two years, now.

"Didn't seem like 'nobody', to me. Who is she? She must be someone really special if she can get your attention and Lucie can't."

"Oh my God." The blond rolled his eyes and laughed. "Are you still on that?"

"She's the fantasy of every man in here, excuse me if I'm confused as to why she didn't have any affect on you. I honestly thought you were gay up until tonight!"

Chat choked on his drink from the sudden bout of laughter. As he coughed, seeing Jackady's head thrown back in howling laughter, he managed to wheeze out, "asshole."

"I am one, I'm not denying it," his friend answered with a grin. "So, come on, tell me about her!"

Chat Noir rolled his eyes. "You sound like a gossiping teenage girl."

"No, I don't! I'm just curious," he denied.

"I'm supposed to be the curious one out of both of us." He flicked an ear attached to his hair, reminding him of his feline theme.

"Just because you're dressed like a cat, doesn't mean you really are one. And now you're just stalling," Jackady deadpanned.

With the glass just poised to his lips, Chat regarded Jackady with a raised brow and a smirk. "Am I?"

"Yes."

"That's a shame, then."

"Yes, it is."

"And what is the shame, again?"

"Stalling!"

"Oh yes, thank you for reminding me."

"You're welcome. Wait a minute. Chat!"

The thief snickered at his friend's growing agitation.

Jackady huffed. "Look, is it really that hard to talk about this girl?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"That's not an excuse."

"It's a _purr_ fect excuse."

"Don't start with the cat puns."

"Why not, my _fur_ iend?

"Chat..."

"Yes?"

"Stop. Stalling."

"Oh, am I stalling again?"

"YES!"

"In that case, I a _paw_ logize."

Jackady threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "Fine! Don't tell me about her! I don't even care anymore!"

"If you wanted to know so bad, why didn't you just say so?"

Chat bit back the peal of laughter as he saw a vein bulge in Jackady's forehead. His right eye was twitching and he could swear he heard the man's teeth grind.

Screw it. He closed his eyes and let out the hysterical laughter, he knew he wouldn't be able to get that hilariously enraged face out of his mind anytime soon.

Jackady glared dangerously at him.

"Alright, alright," Chat conceded. "She's a girl I met when I started public school. I've liked her for about two years. She's beautiful, smart, selfless, talented, kind, and every other nice word in the French language. I kept my distance because I figured she didn't deserve to be with a criminal but after tonight...well, I don't think I can stay away any longer." His voice fell as he neared the end of his speech, eyes downcast in doubt.

"You'll be fine if you play your cards right," Jackady spoke, making a rare pun, the action bringing a small smile to his companion's face. "Just keep your criminal life and your private life with her separate. There shouldn't be any problems."

He nodded, signaling he understood.

"Trust me. Just don't be reckless, plan every move you make, and you'll be fine."

"I hope so."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Purrsuasion is giving me a bit of trouble, so another update for this then xD For those reading it, it will be updated soon, I promise :)**

 **Arish: Yes, you may! Just please post the link when you've completed it :)**

 **Everyone: If you want, you may make fanart of any of my fanfics :) All I ask is credit for my story and the link to the fanart :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

The next morning, Adrien yawned as he climbed out of his limo. Because of the Jared incident, he had been up late and hadn't received much sleep. Oh well, he'd gladly sacrifice his rest if it meant keeping Marinette safe.

Speaking of Marinette, he wondered what she thought about Chat Noir. Did she like him? Was she terrified of him? Hopefully with gentle prodding, he could find out in school today.

When he opened the door to his classroom, his eyes brightened and a smile stretched his lips.

There she was. She seemed to be daydreaming of something, with a hand on her cheek in thought. A dopey smile was on her features which only made him smile wider. She looked positively adorable.

But then she frowned. Why did she frown? What was wrong? Did she remember Chat Noir and frown because she was scared of him?

The blond wanted to slap himself. He really needed to stop overthinking everything.

He walked closer to her, she didn't respond to his footsteps. In fact, it looked like she hadn't heard him at all.

He cleared his throat. "Hey, Marinette!"

The girl jumped in her seat, making a squeak of surprise. His lips twitched, desperately fighting to keep the laughter at bay.

"A-Adrien! Uh, hi! Er-morning to you! Good! No! I mean." Marinette closed her eyes, he could tell she was trying to find the right words. He wondered why she was so nervous around him. What did he ever do to her? If anything, she should have been like this around Chat Noir, at least that guy has done some pretty bad stuff to warrant her fear and stutters.

She opened her eyes and frowned. "I-I mean, good morning...to...you..."

The barely formed sentence made a corner of his mouth quirk up and a small chuckle escaped him. "And good morning to you, too." He sat down in his bench and turned around to face her, leaning an elbow on the back of the bench and resting a fist against his cheek. The picture of casual.

"So, how's your project coming along? You're working with Alya, right?" He began innocently.

Her breath hitched in an excited gasp. He guessed she must really like doing this literature project.

"I-uh-yeah! Alya and I! Or...me?" She paused, seemingly thinking hard about something, before almost imperceptibly nodding her head. "Alya and I. We're uh-m-making great project on work!" She stopped, eyes widening before she furiously shook her head. "I mean, great work on project! The project!" She smiled sheepishly.

His eyebrows were drawn down in confusion. All he did was ask about the project, why was she so nervous? He masked his puzzlement with a charming smile that the photographers always loved. Hopefully he could put her at ease. "Sounds great! Nino and I are doing good, too."

"Yeah, me and-er, Alya and I stayed up pretty late last night working on it."

Here it is. The opening he needed. "You must really want to get it done."

Marinette nodded. "We do. It's due by Friday and the sooner we get it done the sooner we have more free time."

He chuckled in amusement. That was a good way to go about the project.

"I guess that's true. How late did you and Alya stay up working on it?" He questioned. He was so close. "Not too late that you'll be tired today, right?"

She shook her head. "No, not that late. I left her house at around ten." She smiled then, as if to reassure him that all went well.

Because of him, he knew, it all did end up well.

Adrien's lips tugged down, showing a look of clueless concern. "That _is_ pretty late. It can be dangerous at that time of night. Especially with that criminal, Chat Noir, loose." He shivered in fear for the act. "That guy gives me the creeps."

Here it was. Now to see how she'd react to that. Would she defend Chat Noir, or would she agree? He found himself waiting with baited breath, hoping she'd think differently about his criminal side than what everyone else thought.

Marinette only bit her lips, her blue bell eyes shifted to the side in wariness.

He guessed she needed more of a push. "Seriously, he's Paris's top criminal, and nobody even has a picture of him!"

She squirmed in her seat, clearly uncomfortable, but still remained silent. This girl was tough to crack.

"The guy's a monster, a maniac! Sure he only steals now, but what next? Will he resort to rape? Murder, to stay on top?" He continued firing off insults about himself, knowing at some point she simply had to say something.

"Adrien."

And there it was. What would her opinion of Chat Noir be?

"What? You agree with me?" He asked.

He held back a smile when she shook her head.

"No, I don't. I don't agree with you, Adrien. Chat Noir may steal from whomever, whenever he wants. And," she paused to fiddle with a pencil on her desk, "scratch people."

Ooh. Yeah, he probably should've found a way to shield her from the violence. He hoped he didn't mentally scar her or something.

"But," she continued, "he's never killed or raped. I believe he has _some_ sense of morals."

He looked away from her to focus on her words. It seemed she liked Chat Noir, or at least, was just a little fond of him. She didn't agree that he was a monster, she even threw back his words to her from last night!

He grinned at the revelation. Maybe he could woo her at Chat, after all.

Alya and Nino strode into the room, then. As Alya greeted her best friend, his own nodded and greeted him. When Nino sat down, Adrien smiled and raised his fist for a fist bump.

...

A few hours after school, Adrien checked his baton and found an assignment waiting for him: a local bank, this time. He sighed, he knew the vacation wouldn't last long. Still, he figured it'd be good to get out into the field again.

When it was completely dark out he suited up and opened his bedroom window. Using his baton, he reached the ground safely and began making his way to his destination.

He jumped from building to building, quickly making his way to the small bank. He stopped on a random rooftop for a break, taking a moment to take a few needed breaths.

Chat Noir opened the screen in his baton and saw he was near the bank. He'd get the money in no time and present it to Hawk Moth, and then he'd be free to spend the rest of the night as he chose.

Maybe he could pay a visit to his princess. But was it too soon? Would she scream at him and hide if he appeared? Or would she-

He heard the soft rumble of a garbage can.

Curious, he peered down over the side of the building and saw a man hiding behind the corner of the alley below. He must've accidentally hit the trash can in his haste to hide.

The man checked the street outside before silently creeping forward. Chat's eyebrows furrowed. Was this guy following somebody?

He jumped to the next rooftop to silently follow him. Looking in front of the man, he noticed a young woman carrying two large paper bags. She was kind of short, with black hair pulled into twin tails-

Chat almost smacked a hand to his face. _Don't tell me it's Marinette._

He advanced another rooftop over, eventually getting in front of the woman. He squinted his eyes and was able to confirm that yes, it was indeed Marinette.

And that guy was following her, with her none the wiser.

He grit his teeth and retreated back until he found the man, hiding inside another alley. Without a moment to spare he hissed and pounced on him. The man gave a cry of shock as he was tackled to the ground. Chat used the opportunity to scratch his face, then punched him in the side of his head to knock him out.

He got off him and dragged his body deeper into passageway, storing it behind a dumpster. Shaking the dirt off his leather suit, he strolled into the street to see Marinette trying to run away, but the weight of the grocery bags were severely tying her down.

He snickered and jogged to catch up with her.

"Slow down, Princess. Relax, you're safe."

She screamed and nearly dropped the bags. When she spun around he schooled his features into a scowl.

"Seriously, are you a magnet for trouble?" He paused, realizing the irony of that statement as he looked down at himself and chuckled. "On second thought, don't answer that."

Marinette sucked in large mouthfuls of air, her eyes widened as she took him in. He noted with a grin that she didn't seem to be looking at him with fear.

"I-you-what?" She stammered at last. He supposed she must be wondering why the hell Chat Noir was standing before her again.

"There was a guy following you back there," he elaborated, jerking his head to the right. His eyes narrowed and he felt his lips pull back in anger at what the bastard was possibly planning for her. Just mug her, mug and kill, or mug, kill and rape? Either three were probable options. "He was going to jump you." That much he knew. "After that, well, I'm glad we'll never know."

She blinked, clearly she didn't know anyone had been stalking her.

He grinned. "Good thing your knight was on the prowl," he paused to lower his voice, " _Purr_ incess."

His smirked as he noticed her shiver and a blush engulf her cheeks.

Chat Noir took a small step away from her and regarded her as if nothing had happened. "So, what do you have in there that's so important that you couldn't wait until tomorrow to get?"

The blackette let out a sigh. "Just baking ingredients, since my parents own a bakery."

Boy, did he know that. He was no stranger to her parents' creations.

"They made a mistake and thought an order for this Thursday was for next Thursday. So now they're trying to get the baking done and-" She gasped, as if a sudden realization hit her. "I've been out this long and they need these! Thank you, Chat Noir, I appreciate what you've done for me but I have to go."

Before he could react she turned around and started walking down the sidewalk, paper bags jostling around in her arms in her haste to get away. He blinked, shook his head, and managed to stop her with a hand on her shoulder.

"You think I'm just going to let you walk there by yourself? Sorry, not going to happen."

He smirked in amusement when she scowled at his words.

"I can walk down a sidewalk by myself at night perfectly fine," she huffed, no doubt agitated.

He raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "And not get jumped by men lurking in the shadows?"

"Maybe he wasn't going to jump me. Maybe he liked me and was just raising the courage to introduce himself to me."

Chat Noir bit back a growl at that. There was no way in hell he would've let that happen.

"Come on, let's get to your house," he ordered brusquely, placing a possessive hand at the small of her back to lightly push her along.

She obeyed, but her eyes looked about worriedly. What was wrong now?

"Won't people think it's strange that I'm walking next to Paris's top criminal?"

Oh, was that all? "If someone sees then I'll do what I do best: hide." He flashed her a cheeky grin.

She raised a playful eyebrow, her sapphire orbs glittered with mischief. He found himself grinning in anticipation.

"I thought stealing is what you did best?"

"My princess thinks I'm the best thief? I'm honored." He leaned closer to her and waggled his eyebrows, earning a giggle from the blackette.

A sudden idea popped into his head. Without speaking he took the two bags from her arms and continued down the sidewalk, not slowing down. After all, he didn't consider them to be that heavy.

"Chat Noir, that's nice of you, but you don't have to do that," she spoke from beside him, looking shy.

"Nonsense," he retorted. "Princesses shouldn't have to lift a finger, especially ones as lovely as you." He finished the flirtatious remark with a wink.

He turned to the sidewalk ahead of them, making sure to see her light blush out of the corner of his eye.

They continued all the way to her house, with him hiding whenever a person would come along. When he wasn't hiding, the pair engaged in small talk. He found her to be very open to him, a stark difference for when he was his Adrien persona.

When they reached the bakery, Chat handed her the groceries and dipped into a bow.

" _Purr_ leasure to lift a paw to help a princess in need." He rose again and stretched his arms above his head, they had gotten stiff from carrying the bags.

"I have to go. Thank you again, Chat Noir." The corners of her lips drew up in a grateful smile.

"You're welcome. Maybe bake me something with those ingredients?" He teased, winking.

Marinette grinned and looked away, over-acting to appear to be deep in thought. "I don't know," she drawled. "I don't bake things for thieves."

The blond held back a grin and placed a hand over his heart. "Me-owch! I save your life twice, bring you home safely after both times, and I even carried your bags for you! What's an alley cat have to do to get some appreciation?"

"Maybe become a hero instead of a villain?"

He burst out laughing at that suggestion. Was she joking? She had to be. Become a hero? Being a criminal was too much fun to pass up! Besides, he'd never get the same thrills if he was a good guy and to tell the truth, he didn't really care about anyone else but her.

"Princess," he spoke after he calmed down. "I'm only a hero for _you_. I could give two shits about anyone else. Good night, Marinette."

He gave her one last half-smile before using his baton to leap away, doubling back towards the bank.

...

Two hours later, he walked in Akuma and strode past the gawking criminals with his loot. He wondered if they would ever get used to him bringing back his rewards from a heist for Hawk Moth.

His ego whispered that they were probably super impressed with his skills. He smirked at the thought.

After knocking on his boss's door, he walked in and dropped the two sacks of money on the floor.

Hawk Moth, as expressionless as ever, merely nodded. "Good work, Chat Noir."

He rubbed his claws against his chest in pride. "As always."

He turned to leave, usually these meetings didn't take long at all. He'd go in, drop off the stolen items, then stride back out the door. Easy.

But this time, Hawk Moth called his name.

Intrigued, he turned back around. "Yes?"

"Next time you threaten one of my men to never return here, please inform me first."

Although Hawk Moth wasn't smiling, Chat certainly was.

"Don't worry, sir. I will."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: For those wondering, Gabriel is NOT Hawk Moth in this story. The show, however? Let's see... they have the same voice actor, in Origins it's shown that Hawk Moth has a picture of Mama Agreste and wears a ring** _ **very**_ **similar to the one Gabriel has, and let's not forget about Gabe's (not so)secret safe containing the peacock miraculous and that book about all the miraculous. Coincidence? I think not ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

The next morning when Adrien came to school, he was a bit disappointed to see Nino and Alya in their usual places, but Marinette wasn't. He hoped she wasn't sick or anything.

As Adrien sat down in his bench, Nino turned to him with an excited grin. "Dude, did you hear about Chat Noir last night?"

 _Of course I heard...I was there._ "No?"

"He robbed _another_ bank," Alya elaborated, eyes glued to her phone. She was probably reading five different news articles at the same time for the latest details. "And we still have no pictures of him."

"The guy's stealing from our city on a daily basis and all you want is a picture of him," Nino chided, laughing. "Glad to see where your priorities lay."

Alya scoffed. Adrien grinned, completely content to see this play out.

"I'm a journalist, Nino. And a journalist is required to get all the juicy details, the police can actually arrest him."

He rolled his eyes, knowing whatever he fired back with, it wouldn't be enough to beat his girlfriend.

At that moment, the door opened and in walked a slightly flustered Marinette. She was breathing heavily and her clothes were unkempt, she had probably ran all the way here. Adrien discreetly covered his smile with a hand. She may have been a little haggard in appearance, but she was still cute.

She gave them a tired smile before sitting next to Alya.

"Hey, Marinette," Alya greeted her. "Did you hear about Chat Noir?"

A frown marred her features. At once her semi-cheery attitude completely turned around to annoyance. "I heard all about it," she bit out.

Did the Princess not like his little escapade last night? He held back the chuckles he was dying to let out. Thanks to years of modelling, he was able to school his features into a neutral look.

"Something wrong, Marinette?" He heard Nino ask.

The girl closed her eyes and released a breath. Geez, was she really that annoyed at his robbery? It's not like he's never stolen before, it's nothing new.

"No, nothing's wrong," she said at last, though he knew she was lying. "Just had a rough morning."

He hoped she would be in a better mood later. What could he do? He certainly couldn't apologize, Adrien did nothing wrong to warrant her anger. Then again, Chat Noir really didn't do anything either. Chat Noir is a criminal, who doesn't apologize for stealing, and has been committing crimes for three years. He's not going to stop just because she may disapprove of it.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of his own before letting it out. He wasn't in the mood to have a headache at eight in the morning.

Meanwhile, Alya groaned at her friend's response. "Ugh, last morning I had to deal with my sisters screaming about who stole whose shirt." She rolled her eyes. "I think that was the only time I actually wanted to go to school."

Adrien smiled and let out a light laugh, thankful for the amusing distraction of her story.

"Adrikins!"

Hm, maybe he'll get that headache after all.

He couldn't repress the annoyed groan but managed to force a half-smile on his face when Chloe came into view. He heard Nino trying to cover up his snorts of laughter, noting he'd get him back for that later.

"Good morning," Chloe said with way too much sweetness. Adrien grimaced as she tried, yet again, to steal a kiss from him but he was successful at keeping her back.

"Chloe," he spoke, trying to sound friendly. It was getting harder each time she'd act like this. "How was your morning?"

Her smile dipped into a displeased frown. "It was scary! I wake up and on my tv is a news report about that horrible Chat Noir! What if he breaks in my room one night and steals all my shoes? Or my dresses? He has to be caught!"

Adrien snickered. He already had to put up with her presence at school, there was no way in hell he'd potentially get near her during his free time. Besides, what would he do with dresses and shoes? "I doubt he wants your clothes."

"But it's still so scary! You'll protect me if I ever see him, right?" Chloe leaned her face down closer to his over the desk, puckering her lips and fluttering her eyelashes.

Adrien swallowed down his grimace, but he couldn't help the wrinkling of his nose. There was no doubt she put on way too much body spray today. A harsh, overpowering flowery scent.

He personally preferred just a hint of vanilla and sugar, like how someone would smell if they lived above a bakery...

"Uh, if I'm around, then sure," he agreed awkwardly. He made a mental note to keep away from the Bourgeois hotel at all costs. He would tell Hawk Moth to screw himself if he sent him an assignment there.

"It's a date then," she promised flirtatiously. She blew him an air kiss before sitting down next to Sabrina.

"For your sake, I hope Chat Noir doesn't go within 30 meters of Chloe," Nino chuckled.

Adrien felt a corner of his mouth lift in a smirk. He had no plans of going anywhere near her as Chat Noir.

He grinned as he overheard Alya and Marinette's conversation about meeting up for the project, with the former imitating Chloe at the end. Marinette laughed that melodious laugh of hers before quieting down when Mme. Bustier came in the room.

...

After school, Adrien took Nino with him to his mansion to finally finish the project before the former had a photo shoot and the latter had work.

As Adrien was putting in the final touches on his laptop, Nino chose that time to speak about something that had nothing to do with the project.

"So, what do you think of Marinette?"

The blond stilled. Why would he ask that? "She's great, she's my friend," he replied. He didn't feel too comfortable disclosing to Nino of what he really thought about the girl. Not yet, anyway.

His best friend nodded before smirking. "She's pretty though, right? I mean, let's face it, she's one of the hottest girls in our class."

Green eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "I suppose."

"You suppose?" Nino laughed. "Come on, that can't be all you think."

"What are you getting at?" Adrien asked, tone hardened. Was Nino interested in Marinette? But he had Alya. Adrien figured the last male he had to worry about stealing the blackette's attention was his best friend. Was he wrong, all along?

"Dude, I can see those wheels in your head turning," Nino chuckled good-naturedly. "I'm not interested in Mari, I was just wondering what your opinion of her was."

"She's one of my good friends, that's it," Adrien insisted, scowling. "Now can we please finish up this project?"

Nino held out his hands in a sign of surrender. "Okay, okay. Sheesh."

...

One finished project and a finished photo shoot later, Adrien wanted nothing more than to relax. He tiredly checked his baton, and after seeing that there were no assignments, sent a mental thank you to any possible deity that decided to take time out of their day to bless him.

He rubbed a hand along his face as he stared at the pile of seemingly-innocent black leather. Should he go out for a run? He was pretty tired...

His eyes shifted to his window, through the glass he made out the lit-up Eiffel Tower, the glowing moon, and the buildings that always seemed to have their lights on.

Marinette was out there. What if she needed him?

No, she wouldn't go out again, not this late. The girl almost got raped twice, she wouldn't try to go out at night again.

But what if her parents sent her on another grocery run? What if she went to Alya's house, lost track of time, and was leaving right now? What if-

He snatched the leather before his mind could conjure up another theory.

...

Chat Noir decided to check her house first, if she wasn't there then he'd have to go on a manhunt for her. Paris was a big place, yes, but every passageway and street was engraved to memory. Criminals had to know their way around to get away with their crimes.

He smiled as he came upon the bakery, seeing the soft glow of light filtering out of one of her bedroom windows.

He landed with a quiet crouch on her balcony. Three years of being a lawbreaker gave him plenty of time to master the art of silencing his footfalls.

As he squatted down just above the glass panel that led to her bedroom, he raised his claws in the air to tap on it, but decided against it. Would she even tolerate his presence? This was the first time he ever visited her, he had no idea if she would like it.

She would most likely scream in terror and demand he get off her balcony, call him a pervert, call the cops, and hate him forever like a normal person. But then again, last he saw her she didn't seem to mind his company too much. Maybe he should give this a shot.

But what could his purpose be for being here? His mind went back to last evening's conversations between them. The mental race screeched to a halt when he remembered him teasing her about baking him pastries.

Who was he kidding? He couldn't just ask her for pastries, what kind of a guy does that? She has to give them to him of her own accord. He'd be a selfish bastard if he asked.

He should just leave. Leave right now. He had proof that she was safe, what was he still doing here?

Chat's eyebrows drew down in annoyance. He wanted to talk to her, but she probably didn't want him up on her balcony. Or would she not even care?

Screw it. He'd tap on the glass panel and use the pastry idea. It was all he had.

Doing it before he could stop himself, he tapped on the glass panel.

He waited, it wasn't long before he heard the soft patter of footsteps. His stomach fluttered with nerves, something he hasn't felt in years. His fists clenched in worry, anticipating on what reaction she'd have to him.

"Who is it?" A timid, shaky voice asked.

Chat found all his worry melt away by that amusing question. He snickered before he could stop it.

"Your favorite thief, Princess," he replied in a voice like silk.

He hurriedly jumped back and got into position against her railing. He fell into a pose perfected by his years of modelling, with just a dash of Chat Noir. He crossed his feet together, brought out his staff, and extended it so it would drape across his shoulders.

The black-haired beauty emerged out of her bedroom with a grin as she eyed him.

He smirked, she didn't seem to be angry with him for visiting her. "Evening, Princess." He finished off the greeting with a flirtatious wink.

"Good evening, Chat Noir," she returned. "What brings you here on my balcony?" She inquired smoothly with a smile.

"I was around the neighborhood," he answered vaguely. It wouldn't be very attractive if he told her he came all the way out here just to see her. She'd think he was desperate...

Well, he surmised he kind of was at this point. When did he become so pathetic?

Still, he kept up the smooth outlook as he retracted his baton and strapped it to his back. "When I remembered the possibility of pastries?"

Marinette arched an eyebrow. "I thought I told you I don't bake things for thieves?" She teased, smirking, until it changed into a frown.

His grin dropped as well, only while her frown looked to be in anger, his was in puzzlement.

"How dare you rob the bank after saving me!" She snapped, blue eyes resembling flames in her fury.

He blinked at her sudden attitude change. One minute she was teasing and the next she was pissed off at him?

He managed to recover with a grin. He shouldn't shout at her, that'll make the problem worse. Although, he did feel like he had to defend himself.

"Do you forget who I am, Princess? I may have saved you a couple times, but I'm still a criminal," he reminded her, his tone betraying his growing annoyance. He thought she'd get over this in school, it was more than enough time to.

Then again, she shouldn't have been mad in the first place. Chat Noir will always be a criminal, and being one meant he had to steal things.

"It's the fact that you did it right after I suggested you become a hero instead of a villain. Did you do it just to spite me?" She hissed. Her eyes were narrowed and her fists with clenched.

His own brows drew forward in building anger. She thought he robbed the bank just to spite her? It seemed she was taking his nickname a bit too seriously.

"I was actually on my way to rid that bank of it's money when I saw you being followed. Saving you only delayed me," he bit back harshly. "It wouldn't sway my decision."

She huffed and crossed her arms, still glaring at him. "This would be so much easier if you were the good guy," she grumbled.

"Yeah, well, I'm not, _Princess_ ," he spat. "You're going to have to get used to it."

"Get used to it?" She repeated, mockingly. "Like I would want to spend my time with a _criminal_."

That one cut deep, and they both knew it.

While Marinette's eyes slowly widened as her words sunk in, he guessed he faced her with a similar expression. It felt like her words cut him through the heart.

She rejected him.

Harshly, cruelly, rejected him.

Part of the reason he never approached her before was because of the fear of being rejected, that she'd know she was too good for him and cast him out like the dirty, mangy, alley cat he truly was.

"Chat-" she croaked, but he stopped her with a wave of his hand.

He swallowed his heartache for the moment to allow his voice to harden into a cool, emotionless tone. "No, no. No, I get it. You don't want to be with a lowlife like me. I understand. Nothing I can do will change your opinion of me, it's alright, I get it."

He dipped into a stiff bow. "Goodbye, Marinette. You'll never have to see me again."

"Wait!"

He ignored the plea and jumped off into the night, knowing just where he could go to nurse his broken heart.

...

He slammed down the second shot of vodka, lips pursing slightly at the strongness of the alcohol. As he set the glass on the counter the bartender gave him a pitying look.

"Another," the blond ordered harshly.

The man meekly nodded and went to fulfill the demand.

While the thief was waiting, he felt another presence slip in beside him. He looked to the stool next to him, expecting Jackady, but was surprised to find The Mime.

Chat Noir and The Mime hardly ever mingled, whenever they would Jackady would always be part of the group. While the colorful criminal could easily hold a conversation with the silent one, Chat wasn't as lucky. He talked at some parts in the conversations to let his opinion be known, but couldn't help but stare at the painted criminal as he always refused to talk. It was unnerving, to say the least.

The Mime stared at him, purple lips pulled down in that ever-present frown.

He quirked an eyebrow at him.

Chat Noir quirked one right back.

The silent criminal rolled his dark blue eyes before they locked on Chat's green ones. They seemed to bore into him, search him, with Chat only dragging his eyes away to down the next shot of alcohol.

Mime tilted his head at the action.

Chat Noir scoffed. "Yes, I'm 16 and drowning my sorrows in vodka. Don't even think of patronizing me."

The silent man's eyes widened slightly before going back to their normal size. He seemed to nod to himself, and pointed at Chat's chest.

Chat raised a questioning brow. "What?"

He rolled his eyes in annoyance before pointing to his chest again, suspiciously by his heart. Then he raised his fists in the air and pressed them together, before breaking them apart.

Oh. He got it now.

The handsome criminal chuckled bitterly. "Yes, a broken heart. Isn't that always the case?"

The painted man shrugged. He tilted his head in question again, eyes staring right into Chat's.

"You want to know about her?" Chat Noir guessed uncertainly.

The Mime solemnly nodded.

"Well, I guess I'll indulge you. It's not like you're going to tell anyone," he joked, and for the first time in a few hours, his lips quirked into a grin.

Mime returned the expression, blue eyes twinkling with humor.

Chat's amused expression dropped as he remembered what the topic of his (kind of) one-sided conversation was.

"She's..." he began, pausing as he tried to find the words. "She's the girl of my dreams. Kind, generous, talented..."

He listed good quality after good quality, his gaze becoming somewhat lost as he thought of her.

Mime grinned slyly and pointed to his face.

Chat Noir smiled softly. "Beautiful," he confirmed. "She's the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on. Jet black hair, heavenly blue eyes, a natural, soft pink blush on her cheeks. Her skin is-" he cleared his throat before he could go much further. "She's beautiful," he finished abruptly.

The Mime smiled knowingly, nodding. But frowned and raised an eyebrow again, probably asking him what happened.

"She rejected me," was all Chat said, lips tugging down into a depressed glower.

The silent criminal then pointed to his private area before raising another eyebrow at Chat.

Chat's eyes widened as he took in his meaning. "Uh, no, I'm not interested-"

Mime cut him off with a wave of his hands and a roll of his eyes. He mimed his hands in the silhouette of a woman. Next, he pointed at his private area again and raised his eyes to Chat's intensely.

Chat's eyebrows drew down as the meaning of his gestures was on the tip of his tongue. "You're asking if she..." He remembered the pointing out of Mime's privates, back to the air-woman, and let out a 'oh' when he figured it out. "You're asking if she rejected me for another man?"

Mime nodded vigorously. He opened his hand and slammed a fist into it, it was the one gesture Chat Noir understood all too well.

He had to admit, he was touched that Mime would help him beat up a potential love rival even though they had never really interacted before.

The blond shook his head. "No, it wasn't because of another guy. She doesn't like me being a criminal."

Mime calmed down and nodded. His eyes gleamed with understanding. Without a word he pointed to Chat's heart, his purple finger lightly touching the leather suit.

He looked into Chat's eyes for confirmation.

The feline thief sighed. "Yes. I love her."

The Mime drew back and furrowed his eyebrows with his eyes shining with determination. He raised his fists as if he was challenging Chat to a fight, before miming another woman in the air.

Chat Noir balked at this, his eyes narrowing in anger. "I'm not going to hurt her!"

He shook his head furiously and repeated the gestures, only this time raising four fingers.

The understanding dawned on Chat. He looked at his companion with doubt. "You want me to fight for her?"

He nodded.

Chat scoffed. "I can't. She doesn't want me. I'm nothing. Nothing good, anyway."

For what seemed to be the hundredth time that night, The Mime rolled his eyes. He raised a hand to gesture wildly at Chat. He pointed at his blond hair, his eyes, his chest, before raising his fingers to his lips to mime them being turned up in a smile.

Attractive.

Next, Mime pointed to Chat's black mask, before bringing his hand back and tucking it under his chin in pretend thought.

Mysterious.

He gestured to the club, to all the criminals around them. Then he pointed at Chat, and raised his hand in the air. He used his other to point at the criminals again but this time he lowered his hand. His right hand was up significantly higher than his left.

The best.

Mime pointed at the blond criminal, miming words out of the man's mouth, before tossing his head back and howling with soundless laughter.

Funny.

The Mime's expression hardened. He sat his hands on his hips while glaring around him. He swung a fist in the air, then another. He pointed at Chat when he was done.

Brave.

He raised his arms and flexed the muscles.

Strong.

Finally, Mime finished his show by patting his own heart and smiling up at Chat.

Kind.

Chat Noir stared wordlessly at him, unable to comprehend all the compliments he received from Mime. He didn't think the man thought so highly of him, especially when they hardly interacted.

The Mime kept smiling and rested a comforting hand on the disbelieving blond's shoulder. He nodded, looking earnestly up at Chat.

Chat Noir knew he meant every good quality he mimed about him.

"Thank you," Chat smiled. A bubble of hope started to rise in his chest. Maybe he could win over Marinette, after all?

Mime nodded again and smiled before walking away.

* * *

 **A/N: I think this is my favorite chapter that I've written :')**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Despite Mime's reassurance the previous night, Adrien was still pretty bummed about the argument the next day. A part of him hoped that he could somehow make Marinette reconsider her words, while another, and larger part, stressed that there was absolutely nothing he could do, that she'd never want to be with a criminal like him.

The alcohol certainly wasn't helping his brain, either.

"Dude, you okay?" His best friend asked once he sat down. Adrien couldn't blame him for asking the question, he probably looked like a depressed zombie.

"Fine," he answered in a brusque voice. He really didn't feel like talking now.

"Your Pops on your case, again?" Nino asked with a half-smile.

"Yeah. That's it," he replied, finding it being the easiest answer.

Thankfully that seemed to be the end of the questioning. Adrien sat in his seat, content to be alone with his thoughts, while Nino talked with Alya.

Maybe he could visit her tonight as Chat Noir and apologize? Ask her to talk to him? But would she even grant him that wish? He did promise that she'd never have to see him again...

"H-Hey, um, Marinette?"

"Oh, hey, Nathanael!"

He scowled and felt himself straighten in his seat. He was fully aware that the red-headed boy held a massive crush for Marinette, but the artist never chose to act upon it. Did something change?

"What did you need?" He heard her ask kindly.

"N-Nothing. I just wanted to thank you for the cookies yesterday.

 **WHAT?!**

Why did _**he**_ get cookies? What made _**him**_ so special? Oh sure, she gives cookies to good 'ole Nathanael but Chat Noir gets none? Why? Did that guy save her life twice? No, Chat Noir did! Did he bring her home safely after both times? No! Chat Noir did. So what made Nathanael special enough to get cookies?

An uncontrollable, angry hiss escaped his throat. He couldn't believe this bullshit. It was so unfair.

Why would she give him cookies? Did she like him? No, Marinette didn't like him, he was sure of it. Was Nathanael blackmailing her into giving him cookies?

He may have been taking it too far and jumping to ridiculous conclusions, he knew, but he's had a long, tiring night.

"Someone probably accidentally left their volume up on their phone," he heard Marinette say with a light laugh. "Don't worry, it scared me too."

He was brought out of his envious thoughts by that amusing remark. He covered his mouth with a hand to muffle the snickers threatening to escape.

So apparently he had scared poor Nathanael.

He wished the hiss came from a cell phone.

"But you're welcome for the cookies," Marinette said, bringing him back to his previous bad mood. "That's what a bakery is for, right?"

"Y-Yeah, right."

Hm. Maybe Nathanael wasn't blackmailing her. Maybe he just fairly bought them at the bakery. It was plausible.

The blackmailing option was still on the table, though.

...

For lunch, Adrien and Nino went to a nearby cafe.

"Hope we get a good grade on that project," Nino muttered through mouthfuls of food.

Adrien smirked, amused by his friend's lack of table manners, and swallowed his own food before speaking. "Yeah, me too."

"So, are you going to Chloe's party tomorrow night?" Nino inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Earlier that week, Chloe texted everyone in their grade to invite them to a party at Sabrina's house. The blonde was taking advantage of the fact that Sabrina's parents would be gone for the weekend, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to throw the biggest party of the year. She had texted Adrien multiple times about it, but he always answered just vaguely enough to get her to leave him alone about it.

"No," Adrien refused, grimacing. "You already know how she treats me in school. I don't want to know what she'd do if alcohol was involved."

"But it's the biggest party!" Nino retorted, eyes wide. "Everyone's gonna be there, including Marinette." He finished the little detail with a waggle of his eyebrows.

The blond scoffed, quickly dismissing the notion. "There's no way she'd go to Chloe's party. They hate each other."

"I don't know. Alya's going, and you know how persuasive she can be," Nino reminded.

To tell the truth, Adrien honestly didn't want Marinette to go, and not exactly because of Chloe. The girl was spoiled rotten, she'd be able to get countless amounts of alcohol. And while he knew Marinette wasn't the type to heavily drink, that didn't mean their classmates weren't. The innocent girl would be a perfect target for some creepy drunk.

Still, while Alya could indeed be very persuasive, Adrien had confidence that Marinette would refuse to go. Her hatred of Chloe wouldn't change anytime soon, so why would she subject herself into going to the girl's party?

As a result, Adrien just made a non-committal noise from the back of his throat, nodded, and continued eating.

...

He decided to not visit Marinette that Thursday night, to give her more space and also allow him time to think of his next move. It also may or may not have been due to the assignment that Hawk Moth gave him, to steal from an electronics store. An easy haul, as usual.

Afterwards, as he was sitting at the bar, none than The Mime sat down next to him at the bar. This time, Chat Noir looked to be in better shape. He was drinking his usual martini instead of the straight vodka shots from the night before, and was sitting straight up instead of letting his shoulders hunch.

The Mime faced him with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

Chat shook his head. "I didn't talk to her yet."

He made an exasperated expression, as if to scream, 'why the hell, not?!'

Chat chuckled at this and took a sip of his drink, answering once he swallowed. "I want to give her some space before I try to make amends. Plus this gives me time to think of what I want to say so she doesn't get even more mad at me," he laughed.

Mime smiled and shook his head.

"Why, if it isn't my two favorite villains!"

Mime rolled his eyes while Chat Noir smiled at his friend's appearance. Jackady came between his friends to sling an arm around each. Chat snorted and shook off the arm, taking another drink.

"What's got you so happy?" The blond questioned teasingly.

"Just found out I got a heist tomorrow at one of the most popular banks in the city!" Jackady grinned. "It's hard to find work these days when a black cat keeps stealing your thunder."

Chat's lips quirked into a playful smirk. "Well, maybe if you were better, then Hawk Moth would give you more assignments."

"Ooh, ouch! That one hurt," Jackady laughed, placing a hand over his heart.

Mime grinned and pretended to squirt a bottle of lotion onto his palms, then proceeding to rub them together and glancing up at Jackady.

Basically, he asked him if he needed lotion for that burn.

Jackady swatted Mime on the arm for that unspoken remark before sinking down onto the stool beside Chat. He ordered his usual drink from the bartender and looked at his feline companion.

"So, how have you been, Chat Noir? It's been awhile."

"It has," he agreed. "I've been fine."

To his relief, Mime did not disclose any hints about his troubles. He didn't really want for Jackady to get involved and endure the man's inevitable teasing about it. He normally didn't mind Jackady's humor, but he considered Marinette to be a touchy subject that he didn't want to talk about.

...

On Friday, he decided that he would visit Marinette that night as Chat Noir and somehow make up with her. Who knows, maybe she regretted her words, as well. He had asked Hawk Moth for tonight off. Being the best criminal in the city had it's perks, as his boss approved it without a single question.

Chloe kept pestering him all day about the party, constantly asking if he was going. He kept responding that he'd think about it, and eventually she left him alone. Other than that, nothing of pure significance happened that day.

Nino was also insisting that Marinette was going to the party, despite Adrien's doubts. Every time Adrien would laugh at his friend's misguided assumption, saying that Marinette would in no way, no how, go to a party hosted by her enemy. Nino would groan and keep saying that he was right, but he soon gave up on trying to convince him.

That night, when Adrien was finally alone, he pulled on the leather outfit and took to Paris's streets, heading for a very familiar bakery. He still didn't know what he would say to Marinette once he had her on the balcony. Act smooth and suave and soon go into the apologies, or just quickly delve into pleading for her to take him back.

His eyebrows furrowed as he saw her building was completely dark. Usually there would be a soft glow of light coming from one of her windows, but there was none of that, tonight.

He landed on her balcony, as quiet as ever. Was she asleep? It wasn't that late, then again, he sometimes felt tired enough to go to bed earlier than usual.

A sudden thought made his stomach drop. Did she go to the party?

No. No, she wouldn't have.

But he had to check.

He tip-toed to the glass panel and looked straight down, hoping to see a sleeping beauty tangled in the soft covers of the bed, stomach rising and falling gradually and hair spilled over the pillows.

An empty bed greeted him, instead.

Chat Noir backed away, a feeling of dread creeping into the pit of his stomach.

Was Nino right all along? Did Alya somehow convince Marinette to go to Chloe's party? Marinette wasn't a party girl, she didn't drink excessively. She was a sweet, innocent girl who honestly didn't belong in that type of environment. What if some guy tried to drunkenly take advantage of her? What if she was pressured into drinking and got sick?

He leaped in the direction of Sabrina's house without waiting for another panicked thought to slip into his brain. He had to check on her. If she was perfectly okay and having a nice time, then he'd leave. She could do what she wanted. But if she was in trouble, then he wouldn't hesitate to step in.

He could probably knock out a random guy and steal his clothes and hide his suit somewhere isolated, donning his civilian look and checking on her that way. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.

"Don't touch me! Get off me, Kim!"

The terrified scream made him halt in his tracks. That was Marinette, there was no doubt about it. And by the sound of it, their classmate was harassing her in some way.

He vaulted to the next rooftop and peered down.

He saw red.

Kim was pinning Marinette to the wall, holding her wrists in his hand. His lips were smashed on her own, tears were falling down her cheeks. His other hand he used to place under Marinette's skirt, no doubt touching a very forbidden area.

His teeth gnashed in fury. An enraged snarl tore from his throat and he used his baton to get to the ground. In no time he had Kim pinned to the opposing wall, digging his claws into the boy's neck and drawing blood.

His green eyes were narrowed into a vicious glare, his teeth were bared and he was growling like an infuriated animal.

He was going to kill him. Paint this wall with this bastard's blood. Tear his claws in his body and rip him apart.

"Ch-Chat Noir?" Kim spluttered, horrified.

Good. He had every reason to be horrified. Not even horror movies could show what Chat Noir was about to do to him.

"Who else?" He hissed, somehow finding the ability to speak in his fury.

The word 'kill' flashed in his mind multiple times.

"Do you," he growled, finally gaining a speck of sanity, "have any idea what you just did?"

He wanted the bastard to know exactly what warranted his death.

"I-I'm sorry!" He blubbered. Pathetic. "Please let me go!" Tears were forming in his eyes, he whimpered in pain.

That made Chat Noir's temper spike impossibly more. "Let you go? Like how Marinette was begging you to let her go just now?" He snarled.

Kim didn't reply, Chat used to moment to sink his claws deeper in his neck. He grinned, delighting in the extra blood this caused to spill. Just how much more could he painfully extract before Kim would die?

He leaned in closer to his face, wanting him to squirm more until he met his end. He wanted him to be bloody and terrified before he granted him the mercy of death.

"Let me let you in on a little secret." He grinned wider, loving how he could just see the terror swimming in the jock's eyes. "Cats are _very_ protective of what belongs to them. And when you try to hurt those things...well..."

He raised his left hand and trailed a claw down his cheek, letting him have a hint on just how sharp his claws really were, a hint of the horrors that awaited him. A nice cut with a small stream of blood was left in his finger's wake. Kim hissed in pain and squeezed his eyes shut, shuddering in fear.

"It doesn't end well," he promised.

"I-I'm sorry! L-Let me g-go!" Kim sobbed.

He ignored the pitiful request. Just how should he carry out his first killing?

Strangle him? Nah, too easy. Besides, not enough blood spilled.

Keep his claws buried in his neck until he dries out? Nah, that would take too long. Marinette still needed to get home.

Smash his skull against the wall? That seemed promising. Plenty of satisfying red liquid and a painful death.

Decisions, decisions.

A sudden idea popped into his head. His gaze traveled down to Kim's private area.

He smirked in anticipation.

"I think I should punish you," he spoke coolly. "A punishment fit for the crime."

Chat lowered his hand, claws stretched and hovering over Kim's area. He grinned up at him, letting the drunk try to put the pieces together.

It took a few seconds, but when he did his eyes almost bulged out of his head in fear. "No, no man! Come on, you can't do that! You understand why y-you c-can't!"

He understood perfectly well why he could, and would. There was no doubt that this would hurt like hell.

"Why not?" He drawled. "You had no problems touching Marinette there."

He remembered how Kim's hand was buried under Marinette's skirt, touching her most sensitive area. A place he wanted no one other than himself to touch, of course, provided she let him, one day.

And that time would most definitely take place in a much more comfortable area instead of a dirty alleyway, with her fully consenting of his attentions.

He noticed Kim pale. Whether that was from fear, or loss of blood, he wasn't sure.

"Yes, I saw," he confirmed, seeing the surprise in his victim's eyes. "You touched a place where _no one_ is allowed to touch. And now I'm going to repay the favor."

He poised his claws above his target.

"No, Chat!"

He stopped, dragging his head back in question to look at her. Her cheeks were stained with dry tears, her clothes rumpled and hair mussed. But overall, she looked scared.

"Please, Chat, don't do it," she begged, her voice soft yet high.

"Why not? I think he deserves it," Chat retorted. This wasn't the time for Marinette's kindness, this bastard was going to get what was coming to him.

"But he's drunk! He doesn't know what he's doing."

"He knew perfectly well what he was doing!" He hissed, new anger causing him to squeeze Kim's neck tighter. He let out another pained whimper.

He knew what he was doing, it wasn't like some other person was controlling him. Kim wanted Marinette, and tried to take her. No ifs, ands, or buts.

"Please, Chat," she pleaded, voice cracking. "Please don't do this."

He stared, taking in her terrified, watery sapphire eyes. She would never look at him the same ever again if he murdered Kim in front of her.

She was his Princess. If she wanted the drunk idiot's life be spared, then so be it.

With a defeated growl he turned around to face Kim again.

"Tell anyone what just happened here, and it won't be just your dick I'll be ripping apart", he threatened, teeth bared in a hiss. If this asshole went around telling people what happened, or a fabrication of what happened that would no doubt lead to a very uncomfortable time for Marinette, he'd kill him. Not even Marinette would be able to stop him.

He nodded hurriedly. Maybe he possessed a brain somewhere in there, after all.

"You even _look_ at her again, I'll rip you apart. Do we understand each other?"

Adrien would have to keep a close eye on Kim come Monday.

Kim didn't answer, instead he shut his eyes and whimpered.

"I said," he repeated, agitated, inching his face closer. "Do we understand each other?"

The boy instantly opened his eyes and nodded. "Yes, yes, I understand! Please, let me go!"

"Good."

Not able to resist at least a little revenge, he pulled his head back and slammed it against the wall. It wasn't enough to kill the idiot, just enough to knock him out.

Chat gently picked up a gasping Marinette and took her straight home to the bakery. Along the way, the rage cleared some to make room for guilt.

He should've believed Nino. If he went to that stupid party, then none of this would've ever happened. He would've been able to keep Marinette company at the party and steer her away from Kim and any other drunken perverts. He would've been able to walk her home safely, with her not having to worry of her companion forcing her against a wall and trying to have his way with her.

This was all his fault.

When they arrived at the bakery and he got her into her room, he didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms for a comforting hug.

She was shivering and sucking in panicked mouthfuls of air in teary hiccups. Her hands grasped onto his suit, as if he were her lifeline.

He held her tighter, silently assuring her he wasn't going anywhere.

"Shh," he whispered in her ear, trying to ease her fears away. "I'm here, no one is going to hurt you."

She responded by burying her face in his neck. She still trembled and he heard her inhale mouthfuls of air, though it was muffled.

"You're alright, Princess," he crooned gently. "Nothing is going to harm you," he promised.

She surprised him by roughly pulling herself away from his hold. He understood that she was probably wary of the opposite sex right now, given what just happened to her, but he still couldn't help but feel hurt by the action.

"I'm sorry, Chat," she apologized in a voice that sounded like she was about to start crying at any moment.

What? What the hell was she sorry for? None of this was her fault, none of it.

"What are you sorry for?" He asked incredulously. Did she really think this was her fault?

"I'm sorry about what I told you. I'm sorry I got in that stupid argument with you. I'm sorry-"

He couldn't believe it. That argument was the furthest thing from his mind, it suddenly seemed so small, now. And wasn't it obvious that he already forgave her?

His lips lifted into a disbelieving half-grin. He pulled her in for another hug to cut off her unneeded apologies.

"It's going to take more than a little catfight to get rid of me," Chat joked, chuckling softly.

He heard her sigh in relief and she clutched onto him tighter. He smiled and was about to close his eyes and lean his head in the crook of her neck, savor the moment, when she pulled away again.

He looked at her with confusion when she grinned. "Wait here," she commanded.

Chat Noir stared after her in befuddlement as she walked down the stairs, took off her shoes, and left the room. What was she doing? He shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the wall, knowing he'll just have to wait and see.

A few minutes later he heard the trap door open again. She had something hidden behind her back and was wearing a sly smirk. What was she up to?

She climbed the staircase to the bed and sat in front of him. Ht tilted his head, wondering what was going on, when she whipped out a plate of macarons.

"I think you've done more than enough to deserve these," she spoke, almost shyly.

His mouth parted in surprise. He forgot all about how he asked for pastries from her, and now she felt it was the perfect time to get him some? He shook his head and let out an amused snort.

He reached over the plate and grabbed a blue one, immediately sinking his teeth in the sweet, soft pastry. His eyes closed as he moaned appreciatively. This bakery's treats were heaven.

"Thank you, Princess."

"You're welcome. I'm sorry they're not fresh, but they were only made a couple hours ago and next time you'll get warm pastries but this is all we had and-"

During her rambling, he switched the macaron to his other hand to bring his right index finger to her lips to silence her. He eyed her with a warm smile.

"Any treat from you is a blessing, Princess. These are delicious, thank you."

He removed his finger to allow her to answer, but instead she kept quiet. She smiled and looked away, probably in an attempt to hide her growing blush.

Chat smiled and soon they were talking, with him eating a few more macarons and listening intently whenever Marinette would speak. However, it wasn't long before he began to notice the first signs of fatigue on Marinette. She would try to hold in yawns, her eyelids drooped with tiredness, the usual bright blue of her eyes looked dulled.

He chuckled at how she was utterly failing at hiding her fatigue. "I think it's time you get to bed."

"No, no," she refused, stifling another yawn. "I'm not tired."

Well, looks like he'll have to put his cunning ways to use. A corner of his mouth quirked up.

"Okay. So, you wouldn't mind just laying down? I mean, it's comfortable, right?"

"Yeah." She shrugged and laid down carelessly. "It is. But I'm not tired," she insisted.

"Of course not," he lied. "And what's a blanket, too? Anyone who lounges needs a blanket, right?"

She paused. Then, "I guess so."

He took care to hide a smirk as he grabbed her pink comforter and pulled it over her body, to just over her shoulders. "There, now," he said, leaning back with an innocent smile. "Comfortable, right?"

"Yeah." Marinette let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes. "Comfortable."

"And how about a little darkness?" He continued, reaching over her to turn off her lamp. The glow of the moon provided him with just enough light to see her face. "Peaceful, hm?"

"Chat?" She asked, half asleep, but managed to slightly open her eyes to look at him.

"Yes?" He whispered smoothly.

"You..." She snuggled deeper into the pillow and sighed. Her eyes closed once more, this time they didn't open again. "You tricked me."

Chat grinned at the spoken fact. It certainly worked out in his favor, after all. He leaned down to press the ghost of a kiss against her cheek, not dwelling too long on the soft skin.

"Good night, Princess."

...

That Monday, Adrien noted with satisfaction on how differently Kim behaved. He barely talked at all, kept to himself, and true to his word, steered clear of Marinette and didn't dare glance in her direction.

He wanted to be sure that Kim would remember his promise. So, the night after he tucked Marinette in bed, he raced to Kim's room a few streets away. The idiot left his window open, making his job a whole lot easier. While the jock slept, Chat raised his hand to the vanity mirror and made three, deep slashes in the glass.

His claws made a loud, almost unbearable screech, but Kim was gone to the world at that point. He held in a laugh and scurried out, knowing his message would get through.

"Dude, what the hell is wrong with him?" Nino asked at their bench. He looked behind to see the trembling jock, he grimaced as his eyes zeroed in on the way Kim was holding his private area for dear life.

"I have no idea," Adrien responded innocently. He turned his head away to hide the knowing grin.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: When you get a tumblr just so you can see ML stuff xD I'm still figuring out how it works, but my username is ghostgirl19posts in case any of you were curious ;D**

 **Also, let's have a throwback to the fabulous Frazie's fanart of 'On The Prowl' that showcased a scene from last chapter: frazie303. deviantart art/ On-the-prowl -Chat-Noir-to -the-rescue -fan-art- 622368435**

 **Don't forget to remove the spaces!**

 **Chapter 7**

On Tuesday, Nathalie informed Adrien of a rare evening photo shoot that was mandatory to take part in. The model agreed, knowing not to disobey his father, but was secretly worried of what Hawk Moth would say. Hopefully he didn't have an assignment.

Adrien grimaced later after school when he saw that yes, he did in fact, have an assignment. He was to rob an expensive department store, steal all the designer clothes and perfumes. Hawk Moth reminded him that he had women buyers as well.

He pressed a thumb on the red 'x' icon on the screen, letting him know he was refusing it. Hawk Moth would be extremely displeased, so Adrien knew he had to think of something big to make it up to him. Two days in a row of refusing assignments? He was just asking to be killed.

When Nino texted him, just wanting some casual conversation, Adrien included the detail of having a photo shoot that evening. His best friend gave him some pitying words as usual, but told him to just smile for the camera and bear it. The two ended up making plans to play video games after school the next day, since as far as Adrien knew, his schedule was free.

On Wednesday morning, Adrien walked in to see everyone was glued to their cell phones and whispering furiously to each other. He was used to seeing this in other teens, being attached to your cell phone was normal. However, he knew this was different. Something strange was going on.

When Adrien walked in his class, he was greeted with the sight of Alya and Nino hovering over the former's phone, with Marinette looking at her best friend with uncertainty.

"It's all over the news! Didn't you hear?" He heard Alya ask.

"No?" Marinette replied, confusion evident in her answer.

"Hear what?" He piped up, wanting to know what was going on.

The blackette shrieked at his voice, whipping around in her seat to face him. He felt bad for scaring her, so he plastered a big, warm smile to his face in an effort to calm her down. "Hi, Marinette."

"H-Hi, Adrien!" She squeaked, still flustered.

Adrien slightly frowned at the way she spoke to him. Just how bad had he scared her? He decided to direct his attention to Nino, hopefully she'd calm down during that time.

"What's going on?" He asked him.

"They think Chat Noir doesn't exist!" Nino exclaimed in a mixture of disbelief and excitement.

"What?!" He shouted in anger. He couldn't believe this! How could people think he doesn't exist? He's been performing crimes for three years, how could they doubt his existence? Who did they think has been robbing them all this time? Robin Hood?

In his sudden anger he noticed his three friends all looking at him in bewilderment.

That's right. Chat Noir had every right to be mad about this, but not Adrien Agreste.

He quickly schooled his features to a look of astonishment. "I-I mean...he leaves notes at all his crimes! How can they not think he's real?"

Thank God for his criminal quality of being able to think on the spot.

"They think it's a gang or something that's doing it, using the name 'Chat Noir' for various members and their various crimes," Alya explained. "It's not impossible, I mean, we have no pictures to prove Chat Noir is real."

Adrien tried his best to maintain his cool. Really? A gang? He was better than any gang in this city, they wish they had his crime skills.

"And who came up with this theory?" He asked, voice level and calm. He even leaned an elbow on his desk to better show that he was trying to be casual. Whoever came up with this theory was going to be very sorry.

"Mayor Bourgeois. He announced it last night at a press conference," Alya answered, before going back to her phone.

"No wonder you're out of the loop," Nino chuckled, throwing an arm around the blond's shoulder. "You had a photo shoot last night, didn't you?"

"Yeah," he muttered, not meeting him in the eyes as the wheels turned in his head. If he didn't have that stupid photo shoot, then he could've completed Hawk Moth's assignment. Would that have stopped the Mayor from making that bullshit theory?

Great. Now his reputation as the best criminal in Paris is on the line. All because of one freaking photo shoot.

Thanks, Dad.

"So, what do you think, Marinette?" He heard Alya ask. "Do you think he's real?"

At the sound of the young designer's name he perked up, but not obviously so. He discreetly listened to the two girls talking from his place in front of them. He hid a grin, knowing this was going to be an interesting answer.

"Um-" She stalled, not really saying anything committal.

"I for one think he is," Nino interrupted. For a split second, Adrien was pissed at his best friend. He was dying to hear Marinette's answer. But his next words saved him. "They're just jealous that a guy could be that good at something and not get caught. Chat Noir's a real badass."

He pressed his palm to his mouth to hide the growing smirk. Glad to see Nino thinks so highly of him.

"Are you praising a criminal?" Alya asked in disbelief, raising an eyebrow.

Nino held up his hands in a sign of surrender. "Hey, hey, I'm not praising him!"

Yeah, Adrien thinks dryly, that would be terrible.

"I still wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley. I'm just saying that he's too badass to get caught. Criminals can be badass."

"Say 'badass' one more time." Alya rolled her eyes, but smiled.

The blond grinned as he noticed Marinette trying to suppress a giggle. Sometimes she was just too cute.

"Well, I _don't_ believe in him," the journalist continued. "No one's ever seen him, it would make more sense for it to be more than one person doing all the crimes. How about you, Mari?"

Good, maybe now he can hear what Marinette thought about the elusive thief. He made sure to pay close attention.

"I-I...um-" She stuttered. She paused for another minute before talking again. "No, I don't think he's real."

"Hm," Adrien hummed. Looks like he'll have to make her regret those words. After he proved to dear ol' Mayor Bourgeois that Chat Noir is very real, and very close.

"What about you, man?" Nino asked, turning to face him. Adrien snapped out of his thoughts to pay attention to his friend. "What do you think?"

Why not have a little fun with this? "I think he's real. Just like you said," he paused to grin, "he's too badass."

While Nino roared with laughter, Alya groaned and rolled her eyes. Marinette bent her head down so she was eye-level to her tablet, looking like she just wanted class to start. Adrien turned back around to face the chalk board, already thinking of ideas on how he could prove his existence.

...

It was in the middle of a study period that the answer struck Adrien. In order to prove he was real, people would have to see him, right? In that case, he would have to commit a robbery in broad daylight.

He was hoping he'd always be the mysterious, aloof Chat Noir that was never seen but always heard, but it looks like good things don't last forever.

Is he ready to make his grand entrance?

Adrien grinned, eerily similar to his counterpart.

...

At the end of the school day, Adrien walked out along with his friends. He'd act completely normal, then hop in his limo, get home, then quickly suit up and go to the Louvre. He never stole anything without Hawk Moth's permission, but he hopes that he'll like whatever painting he takes.

"Bye, Adrikins!" Chloe yelled, jarring him from his calculating mind. He held back the urge to roll his eyes, already knowing what she was going to attempt. At the last second he spun around and caught her by the arms, just barely dodging a kiss.

He forced a smile to appear on his face. "Bye, Chloe."

She acted like she wasn't disappointed and gave him a sweet good-bye before skipping ahead to her own limo with Sabrina following closely behind. As soon as their limo pulled away, Adrien's followed and stopped to take it's place. The Gorilla stepped out and waited patiently for the model.

"That's my cue to exit," Adrien said with a half-smile, shrugging his shoulders. "See you guys tomorrow."

Wait, I thought we were gonna play video games?" Nino interjected, looking disappointed.

The blond froze. Damn, he forgot all about it! He hated disappointing his friend, but he had to prove Chat Noir's existence.

"Uh-I...g-got a photo shoot today! Yeah, last minute photo shoot. You know how it is." He rubbed the back of his neck with a hand and flashed a toothy smile, hoping he appeared apologetic. He was, in all honesty. It would've been nice to have an afternoon off with video games and some classic guy time.

"Yeah, I get it, dude. Good luck." Nino shrugged and gave him a thumbs-up. A corner of Adrien's mouth lifted, he knew he would make it up to him later.

"Thanks. Bye, guys!" With that cheerful good bye, Adrien quickly ducked in his limo and allowed the Gorilla to take him home. If the burly man heard Adrien's lie, he made no comment on it.

...

It wasn't long before he was wearing the leather cat suit and leaping across the rooftops of Paris, intent on heading straight to the famous museum. It felt strange to have the harsh rays of the sun at his back instead of the soft glows of the moon. He also felt utterly exposed, his black suit blended perfectly with the night. In the daytime, anyone could see him.

He had to make sure to be extra careful. No one could see him until he wanted them to see.

At last, he made it to his destination. He dropped down in front of the entrance, cutting off a family that was just about to enter.

The man's eyes widened, the woman screamed and pointed a shaky finger at him. The toddler just tilted his head and smiled at him, probably wondering why a man was dressed as a cat when it wasn't Halloween.

Chat Noir smirked and winked before turning around and going in. When he was inside and people had their sights on him, they immediately guessed as to who he was. Many people screamed and ran away, some took out their cell phones and either recorded, took pictures, or called the police.

Meanwhile, Chat just continued on his way, looking for a painting that he was sure Hawk Moth would like. Was he a fan of water color?

He came upon a new, large room. He grinned and strode down the hall, taking pride in the way people gasped in fear and took their phones out.

"Chat Noir!"

"Is that really him?"

"Who else could it be?"

"Please don't hurt us!"

The blond almost rolled his eyes. He was known for stealing, not killing. Geez.

He may have almost killed two people, but that's beside the point.

Chat turned his head all around, looking for the right painting to steal. The corners of his mouth lifted as he caught sight of a medium-sized painting with a beautiful nature scene. Water color, too.

He confidently walked up to where it was displayed and promptly snatched it off the wall.

"Hope you don't mind me getting a few paw prints on it," he spoke out loud before snickering. He turned, ready to leave, when his eye caught a man holding out a cell phone and recording him. The man was awfully close to a potentially dangerous lawbreaker.

Chat supposed he should reward the man for his bravery. Also, it would be perfect in order to send a message to the Mayor

He purposely walked towards him, but the man got frightened and began to back up.

With the painting tucked under one arm, he lifted his other in a sign of surrender. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. I just have something to say."

He smirked in amusement as the phone now began to tremble. Still, he continued on with his goal.

"Still don't think I'm real?" He mockingly asked. "Still think I'm just a conspiracy? Well, my dear Mayor, I hope this convinces you of the opposite."

With those words he turned tail and sprinted out of the museum, knowing the police would be there very soon. This time, he didn't have night's cloak to protect him.

...

"Come in!" Hawk Moth snapped.

Chat Noir opened the door, smirking as he tucked the stolen painting against the wall.

"Chat Noir?" His boss questioned, standing from his chair in disbelief. "What-"

"I heard about the Mayor's bullshit theory about me not being real. So, I decided to prove my existence and stole this in broad daylight. Hope you don't mind." Chat crossed his arms, conveying the message that he didn't care whether Hawk Moth minded or not.

His boss smirked. "Oh, so you _did_ hear about that? I didn't think a conspiracy theory would be enough for you to out yourself, Chat Noir."

The blond scowled, not liking the way he tried to belittle him. "I didn't out myself, I just committed a crime in the day instead of night. It's not like anyone knows who I am."

"I'm still dying to know," Hawk Moth returned, raising a coy eyebrow.

Chat narrowed his eyes in a warning glare. "And you're not going to find out. Also, I want to stop receiving assignments."

The smirk dropped from his lips to be replaced with an open-mouthed expression in surprise. "What?" His face contorted to anger. "You can't quit! You're my best criminal-"

"Relax, relax," Chat snapped, patience wearing thin. "I'm not quitting. I just want to do crimes on my own time. You'll still get all the stuff I steal, it's just that I'll be stealing it whenever I choose."

"And why should I grant you this?" Hawk Moth questioned, no doubt expecting a very good reason.

A certain Princess's face flashed through the handsome thief's mind.

"I've been busy," was all Chat said, fixing his expression to one that displayed indifference. "I'm still a person under this mask, a person with a completely different life."

Hawk Moth steepled his fingers together and eyed Chat with...well, he couldn't identify the look. Suspicion?

"How often will you commit crime if you were on your own time?" He finally asked.

"Kind of often," the blond replied, unsure. "A couple times a week."

Hawk Moth continued that pressing stare, trapping Chat's emerald gaze with his cold grey one.

"I will only let you do this because your my best. Do not let me down." Hawk Moth glared at the boy in front of him. "This doesn't give you permission to start slacking."

Chat flashed him an easy grin. "Wouldn't dream of it. I still have my reputation to keep."

By the time his meeting with his boss was over, it was pretty late in the evening. He chatted with Jackady to pass the time, though for once he didn't drink anything.

He didn't want his Princess to smell alcohol on him when he came to visit. He didn't think she'd like the smell very much.

He didn't forget how she doubted him earlier that day.

...

When he arrived on her balcony and peered through the glass panel leading to her room, he saw her stretched over her bed to turn off her lamp. He smirked and tapped his claws against the glass to stop her.

She was clearly startled, given her slight jump. Her mouth dropped as she took in the sight of him.

Chat Noir took that as his cue to enter. He opened the hatch and dropped down to the bed on all fours, then sat back indian-style.

"Good evening, Princess," he bid. "So, I heard that you had doubts about me."

Her cheeks delved into a rosy hue as she visibly gulped, looking nervous.

"U-Ummm..."

"You know, I figured with all we've been through, you would've believed in me." He closed his eyes and clicked his tongue, meaning to scold her.

Marinette still stared at him, eyes locked on his. "Uh, I-" she stuttered.

"So," he continued casually, "was my little meet and greet at the Louvre real?"

Her sapphire eyes went wide in new surprise. Her breaths came faster.

He grinned deviously and leaned closer to her. "I spoke to the man recording me. Was that real?" He asked, tone lowered.

"Y-Yes?"

He inched closer to her, she answered by lowering down on the bed, putting space between them.

"You still sound unsure," he pointed out, noticing how her answer sounded like a question.

"I-I am sure!" She stammered, biting her lower lip.

"Really?" He had her trapped, with his legs on both sides of her own and his hands were resting on both sides of her head. She gazed up at him in wonder, her cheeks continued to color.

"Are you really sure, Princess?" He whispered, practically in a purr.

"Um..."

"That's what I thought." The thief shook his head, lips tugged down into a frown. "How will I be able to convince you I'm real?"

He saw her slightly shiver at his words. A slow grin stretched his lips.

"I-I-"

"Do I look real to you?" He bent his head lower so their noses were touching. He took in her heavenly blue eyes before moving down to her neck.

"Do I feel real to you?" Slowly, he dragged his nose along the smooth column of her neck, letting his lips brush tantalizingly over the skin.

The blackette bit her lip, he heard her heartbeat quicken.

He didn't stop until his lips were at her ear.

"Do I sound real to you?"

Her breath hitched before she barely nodded, her eyes with almost shut.

He smirked at how he could bring her to this state, with just a few words and a little contact. He wondered how she'd be like if he actually kissed her.

But right now she was being punished.

"Good."

He sprang away from her, leaping out the trapdoor and back into the cool air. Marinette's eyes slowly opened, her mouth was parted in confusion.

"Just wanted to make sure. Good night, Princess!" With that parting remark and smirk, he closed the hatch and ran back into the night towards home.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: A guest pointed out how unrealistic Chat's robbery at the Louvre was. I'd like to say that the robbery was a tribute/parallel to Copycat. Copycat was able to get the painting and escape no problem, so I wanted the same with Chat Noir. Moreover, this story is written purely for fun, and sometimes I like to 'brush off' the realistic things for plot's sake. But I do my best. You're more than welcome to read another fanfic. I mean no offense, but I felt that I had to defend Chat's robbery somehow.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

Adrien grinned as he walked throughout the school, seeing everyone's excitement for either Halloween, his robbery at the Louvre, or both.

Halloween was a busy night for Chat Noir. He'd steal from a few businesses, but he would mostly vandalize buildings by leaving scratch marks on the glass or spraypainting paw prints on the walls. Throwing eggs and TP'ing places was so juvenile.

But this year, he was hoping to spend it with a certain Princess.

Speaking of, he was also grinning because of what happened with her last night. It was hard to keep his hands off her and not taste her lips with his, but he was proud of the way Marinette reacted to him, regardless.

He wiped the smug smirk off his face before he opened the door to his class, replacing it with a warm, bright, cheery, _Adrien_ smile.

"Hey, guys!"

He walked closer, eyes zeroing in on Marinette. Her cheeks were pink and she looked to be breathing a bit heavier.

He frowned in concern. Was she sick? "You okay, Marinette? You look a little flushed."

Her cheeks reddened further. Her eyes were wide as she looked at him in slight panic. "Uh-I-um-No! No, I-I'm fine! Perfectly fine, peachy fine!"

He grinned in amusement. He wished she was more relaxed around him, but he couldn't deny her flustered stutters were cute. At least she wasn't sick. "Okay. If you say so."

"Hey, dude!" Nino greeted with a grin, holding out his fist. After meeting it with his own, he sat down in his seat beside him.

"Did you hear about Chat Noir yesterday? We finally know what he looks like!" His best friend exclaimed excitedly.

Adrien morphed his smile into a believable, frightened frown. "Yeah, it was pretty scary. I hope the cops catch him soon." He even made his voice slightly shake for effect.

"That might be hard since he wears a mask," Nino mused. "He could be anywhere at anytime. He could be sitting in this room right now."

 _Yeah, and he could be sitting next to you._

Adrien gasped, the noise sounding overly dramatic to his ears, but it seemed to fool Nino. "You don't think?"

He heard Alya laugh behind him, prompting him to turn around to see her.

"I think I'd know if a criminal was right in front of me. Come on, Nino, give us a little credit. Besides, all the police have to do is look for a guy with blond hair and green eyes."

Adrien couldn't help the smirk that rose on his face. "Lots of guys have blond hair and green eyes. How will you be able to tell if it's him?"

This was getting to be too funny, not to mention insanely ironic.

"Easy. I'm a journalist, I have special senses." The auburn-haired girl winked. "It won't take long to figure out who he is."

Adrien cocked an eyebrow up, still smirking. She really needed to have those 'senses' of hers improved.

"Alya, please don't get involved with this," her boyfriend groaned. Adrien didn't blame him for the response, he wasn't a stranger to Nino's rants about how they almost got hurt because Alya dragged him to crime scenes to get stories.

Although, Nino had nothing to worry about. Chat Noir would never hurt him or Alya.

"Relax." Alya rolled her eyes with a grin. "This is the first time we've seen him. We have no leads on him at all. I'll wait until more details come along."

"Thank God," Nino moaned. Adrien chuckled and out of the corner of his eye, noticed Marinette grinning.

...

At lunchtime the four friends decided to go to a nearby cafe. While Alya and Nino were ahead, walking and holding hands, Adrien was by Marinette's side and finding himself speechless.

Why was he being awkward now? He could flirt and talk to her all he wanted as Chat Noir, but as Adrien he was tongue-tied? It didn't make sense.

"So, Halloween's tomorrow," he stated, already knowing it was a bad opening line to a conversation. But at least it worked.

She flinched slightly, startled from his sudden voice. "Uh, y-yeah, it is!"

"Got any plans?" He asked casually. He hoped not, he really wanted to spend his Halloween with her.

To his joy, she shook her head. "No. I think I'm just going to stay home and watch horror movies."

His eyes widened a bit, as he asked the next questions, wanting to be certain she wasn't going anywhere. "Really? You're not going out? At all?"

For some reason, she blushed and slightly shrunk back. What was wrong? Did he insult her somehow?

"Nah. I'm too old to trick or treat and...well," she paused, giving a shaky grin. "I don't feel like going to any parties anytime soon, or feel like walking home late at night."

Oh. Well that makes sense, he thought with an amused smirk.

However, he couldn't tell her that he was going to stay at home. One, it could be a clue to giving away his identity (Adrien and Chat Noir both doing nothing on Halloween?) and two, he just didn't want to look like he had no life.

"Nino was telling me about this one party, I think I might go to that." He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck, his trademark move for whenever he was either flustered or uncertain of something. "Not sure though."

"Oh. Well, if you do go, I hope you have fun!" Marinette turned to him and gave him a radiant smile, a smile that caused himself to do it.

"Thank you."

And, they were back to the awkward silence.

The blond looked away, trying to gather his thoughts together.

"Come on, Adrien, just say something to her! Maybe you could somehow mention Chat."

Come to think of it, he did overhear some younger girls after one of his classes talking about his robbery at the Louvre. He grinned as he heard them all gush about his looks, but got wide-eyed and walked away when he heard them talk about scenarios that involved him, a bed, and one of them.

Still, maybe he could use some of their conversation (the innocent part), try to see how Marinette views his alter ego.

"I overheard some girls talking about Chat Noir earlier." He pretended to be offended as he closed his eyes and shook his head. "They thought he was hot. Could you believe that?"

Sapphire eyes bulged at his remark. Her cheeks developed that soft pink hue he loved. "Really?" She squeaked.

He pretended to be surprised at the thought of a lawbreaker being considered attractive, and not like he was trying to fish for compliments. "Yeah, ridiculous, isn't it? What do you think?"

She blushed harder as she stammered out an answer. "Y-Yeah, ridiculous. I-I mean, he can't be that hot, I mean, not as hot as you-"

Wait. What was that?

She squealed, obviously terrified.

"I-I-I mean, he-he's not that bad looking and neither are you? No! Uh-"

Throughout her nervous babble, he fought hard to keep from smirking, though he was pretty sure he was losing the battle.

So, she thought he was hot, huh? And it seemed that she thought Chat Noir was visually appealing as well.

Hm.

When they arrived at the cafe, Marinette sprinted inside ahead of everyone else. Alya and Nino craned their necks back to look at Adrien in confusion, but he only shrugged his shoulders in response.

When the three went inside, Marinette pulled Alya close and whispered something in her ear. While the girls lowly talking Adrien stood next to Nino, pretending that nothing was going on.

Soon enough, they were shown to their table. Alya and Marinette sat on one side, leaving Adrien and Nino to take the other side. The blond tried not to frown in disappointment, he was planning on teasing her a bit throughout the lunch date.

At least he was sitting across from her, though.

"Welcome!"

Adrien turned to see the newly-arrived waiter standing at their table.

"My name is Remy and I'll be your waiter this afternoon. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

The four ordered what they wanted, leaving the waiter to scurry off and let them figure out what they wanted to eat.

"I think I'll get an omelet," Alya voiced after a minute of looking at her menu. Adrien studied his menu and chose a jambon beurre. When the waiter came back the friends all informed him of their choices, when they were done with that Nino took his chance to talk.

"I can't believe it's almost Halloween, soon it'll be Christmas, then New Years, then summer, then we'll be graduating-"

"Woah, woah!" Alya interrupted, laughing. "Slow down! Let's just get through this weekend, yeah?"

Adrien closed his eyes and laughed along with everyone else at her response. When the amusement was beginning to die down, he slowly opened his eyes and was pleasantly surprised to see Marinette staring dazedly at him with glazed eyes.

He took the opportunity and flashed her a sly wink before turning to talk with Nino.

"So, Aurore's party, you in?" Nino asked with a grin.

"I don't know, maybe not," Adrien mumbled. He couldn't exactly tell him that he was going to spend Halloween with Marinette as Chat Noir.

"I swear, you just hang out in your mansion all night. You never go out!"

Adrien grinned. "Yeah, maybe I do need to get out more."

A few minutes later their food arrived. Marinette looked like she was taking extra special care eating her food for whatever reason. She didn't even look at him the entire time, she was so focused on her meal.

The model quietly hummed as he got an idea.

Looking off to the side, he deftly used his elbow to knock his spoon to the ground.

Marinette's head perked up at the sudden noise.

Adrien smiled sheepishly at his friends' confused expressions. "Sorry! Accidentally knocked over my spoon."

In a flash he was under the table. With a grin he spied the spoon laying innocently on the floor, but ignored it and continued for Marinette's bare ankle. He brushed his fingers by it, as though the utensil was near her. Her leg stiffened at the contact his fingers made.

"Mari? You okay?" He heard Alya ask from above him.

"I-I'm fine!" Marinette squeaked.

His lips curled into a smug smirk, morphing into a victory grin when he grabbed the spoon and popped back up.

"Got it!"

...

Let's see, what's the most ironic costume for a criminal to wear?

Why, a policeman, of course!

It wasn't that hard to get, all he had to do was go to an expensive costume store in the mall and buy it. His father didn't exactly approve of Halloween costumes, thinking them to be a waste of fine money, but he didn't do anything to stop his son.

As Adrien walked in, he spied Marinette sitting in her seat, sketching. Her hair was curled and a blue bow sat atop her head. Getting closer, he noticed that she was dressed as Dorothy, a famous American movie character.

Adrien noted with an amused snort that Nino was a DJ, and Alya was a classic witch.

After a few minutes of sitting in his seat, he was just about to turn around and compliment Marinette on her outfit, when Chloe came in and headed straight toward him.

The blonde was wearing a nurse costume, that honestly showed a bit too much to be appropriate for school. But, Adrien guessed, the teachers could do nothing about it since her father was the Mayor.

"Do you like my costume, Adrien?" Chloe asked sweetly, performing a twirl even though the skirt clung to her thighs.

Jeez, this girl couldn't take a hint. Did she really think that wearing a revealing costume would be able to entice him? Maybe for other boys, but not him.

"Yeah, it's nice," he replied in a bored tone.

"I'm going to wear it at Aurore's party tonight. I hope you'll be wearing _your_ costume." She leaned over the desk, and he knew that if his eyes moved just an inch downwards, he'd see something he wouldn't want to see.

He stubbornly kept his eyes glued to Chloe's face, he suppressed a disgusted shudder as she eyed him up and down and licked her lips.

"I told you, Chloe, I might not be going," he spoke, tone hardened.

She quickly clung onto his arm, making him flinch with surprise.

"But, Adrikins, you have to go! You're the most popular boy here, you simply must go!"

He felt his temper rising. He was Paris's most wanted criminal, nobody told him what to do.

"I don't _have_ to do anything," he bit out, removing her grip on him. "If I'm not there, then too bad."

Chloe frowned but left him alone, blowing him an air kiss and going to her seat. Adrien closed his eyes and took a few calming breaths, then opened them again.

"Hey, Mari!"

His ears perked at the call of her name.

"Could you sharpen my pencil please?" Alya requested.

He heard her shuffle out of her seat, then discreetly watched as she walked past him to the pencil sharpener. Her dress's skirt ended just above her knees, but it swished a bit, allowing him to see just a hint of more upper leg.

Adrien drew his eyes away before she could notice.

...

That night, he suited up and went straight to Marinette's bakery. When he arrived on top her balcony, he chose to skip the 'tapping for entrance' procedure and just drop in. It was Halloween, right? He was in the right to give her a little scare.

Unfortunately, her attentions were elsewhere. She was sitting on her chaise, arm raised in the air as she held the remote control for her tv and was flipping through channels. A bowl of popcorn lay at her side, making him lick his lips.

"I'm sure. I'd rather just stay at home this year," she spoke. Ah, that was why her head was tilted at an odd angle, she was talking to someone on the phone. If he had to guess, he'd say it was Alya.

Deciding to get comfortable while he waited for her conversation to end, he lay on his stomach and crossed his boots in the air, content to wait until she was finished.

Marinette settled on a channel as she ended the phone call. She then relaxed against the chaise and started to get comfortable.

He grinned. "Hope I'm not too late."

Her answering shriek of horror was almost enough to make him laugh. She whipped her head towards him, sapphire eyes were narrowed in a dangerous glare.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed angrily.

Someone didn't appreciate his little scare. He gave a lazy smirk as he answered her. "Just wanted to spend Halloween with my princess." With that he walked down the stairs, plopping next to her on the chaise, forcing her to move so there'd be enough space for the two of them.

"So, what are we watching?" He asked, dipping his hand into the popcorn bowl as though he were invited in. He brought the buttery treats to his mouth while his companion scowled and moved the bowl away from him.

However, a corner of her mouth then tilted up into a teasing grin. "Who said anything about 'we'? Isn't Chat Noir always supposed to be active on Halloween?"

He stretched, placing his hands behind his head as he nestled in the chaise. "Normally, yes, but I decided to take a break this year."

The blackette let out a mocking gasp. "The year without a Chat Noir?" She giggled, "the horror!"

"Ha. Ha," he deadpanned, though a corner of his mouth of turned up. "You didn't answer my question, by the way," he reminded.

"Halloween, a classic," she answered. She ate a few more pieces of popcorn, prompting him to take some as well, but she moved the bowl further from his reach.

"Hey, give me some," he pouted. Denying a guest food? How rude. Although, he did invite himself here...

"Or what?" Her heavenly blue eyes twinkled as she teased him. "You'll _steal_ it?"

Ooh, she was good. He smirked roguishly and placed a hand against his chest as if he was hurt. "Me-owch! Low blow, Princess."

She giggled some more before turning back to the tv. "Ooh, it's starting!"

He tried not to squirm in his seat. Despite what he's seen and done as a criminal, he could never stomach horror movies for some strange reason. It was unbelievably ironic, not to mention completely embarrassing.

He was hoping that at least Marinette would get scared and try to cuddle into him. But she didn't need him at all, in fact, she actually _smiled_ and _ooh'ed_ at the killing scenes!

At one point, she slowly turned towards him with a sly smirk. "Are you scared, _Chaton_?"

The way she practically purred the last word caused his heart to skip a beat. But he wouldn't let it show how affected he was at her seductive tone, so he glared down at her instead.

"I'm a full-grown _Chat_ , not a _Chaton_ , who isn't afraid of a stupid movie."

Unfortunately, the music blared at that moment as the character found yet another body. The startling distraction caused a frightened squeak to come out of his mouth as he jumped in his seat. He wasn't at all amused by Marinette's howls of laughter.

He was glad when she took pity on him and turned off the tv. She paused, before erupting in another bout of laughter.

"It's not that funny," he grumbled, turning away from her and crossing his arms. He was fully aware the action was completely childish, but he didn't care at the moment.

"But, Chat," she breathed, calming down enough to speak. She wiped some stray tears from her eyes before continuing. "You're this bad-boy criminal yet you're scared by some jumpscares and fake blood. It's hysterical!"

"I should be more concerned about _you_ ," he retorted, whipping around back to her. "You didn't scream, or jump, or try to cuddle with me once! It makes me wonder if you're not as innocent as I thought."

"Well, I'm friends with you, aren't I? So obviously not." She winked. "Any innocent person would've called the police if Chat Noir came in their room."

Not that innocent, hm? That gave him an idea...

"Maybe I'm a bad influence, then." The edges of his mouth turned up into a sneaky smirk as he brought his face teasingly closer to hers.

It had the desired effect. Those pretty sapphire eyes widened and her mouth parted, all traces of amusement gone. "M-Maybe."

"Wouldn't want to corrupt you," he murmured flirtatiously, inching closer, trying to lessen the space between them.

"That wouldn't be good," she agreed, sounding breathless.

"Too bad I never listen to my own advice."

Chat maneuvered his hand around her waist, trying to bring her closer, but she shrunk away...and down to the floor in a heap.

He blinked in surprise and looked over the chaise in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she replied. As she made her way up, he noticed her cheeks were pink and she was panting for air. "Just fine!"

He nodded before frowning. He shouldn't have done that, it was too fast for her. He should've went slower.

"Happy late Halloween."

Chat looked up to see her shrug indifferently, wearing a small smile.

He snorted and shook his head. "Happy late Halloween."

They stayed quiet for awhile. Chat knew he should probably be getting home, it was late enough and Marinette needed her sleep.

The blond criminal stood and stretched. "Well, it's getting pretty late, and princesses need their beauty sleep. I'll be heading out now."

"A-Alright."

As he walked up the stairs, he smiled as he noticed Marinette following behind him, as though she were seeing him out. He opened the hatch and heaved himself out, twisting back around to look down at her.

He smiled warmly. "Thank you for the movie date, Princess. I hope we can do this again sometime soon, though maybe without the horror."

He grinned as she began to sound that adorable giggle. He reached down and took her hand, pressing a parting kiss on her knuckles.

"Good night." With a final grin, he dashed away back to his mansion.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

That Monday, Adrien woke up to a text from Nino, saying he'll be out sick that day. Apparently, he got a really bad stomach bug. The blond immediately called bullshit on that, the DJ was perfectly fine on Saturday when they hung out. He was 99.9% sure that he was just spending the day with Alya.

Whatever, it was none of his business, so Adrien didn't call him out on his lie. Besides, he's lying to Nino everyday by keeping his criminal identity a secret, so he had no excuse to berate his best friend for his little fib.

Since he didn't have Nino to greet him by the doors of the school, he just walked straight to his class. Marinette and Alya weren't there yet, so for now he'd have to be alone, although there were a few of his classmates settled in their seats.

His green eyes imperceptively narrowed when he spotted Kim. The jock was gradually getting better, becoming more normal as the days went on. To Adrien's satisfaction, he made sure to keep his promise and neither look nor speak to Marinette.

However, he still wanted to punch the bastard's face in. But Marinette surely wouldn't forgive him for that, so he was resolved to just sit back and watch very closely for any wrong moves.

The model sat in his bench and took out his tablet for class, then proceeded to lightly drum his fingers on the desk in boredom. If Marinette and Alya weren't going to be there, he'd be stuck with Chloe. The thought of her pathetically flirting with him made him want to stick a fork in his throat.

The door to the classroom opened, the noise causing Adrien to perk his head up. As a criminal, he always had to be alert. Whenever he heard a noise, he had to quickly look around and identify the source. He's never had a run-in with the police yet, but you could never be too careful.

His lips spread into a wide smile as he laid eyes on Marinette, a very _alone_ Marinette. The girl's cheeks developed a soft, rosy hue as she made eye contact with him and smiled back.

She walked closer to get to her seat, when Adrien greeted her.

She stopped in her tracks and quickly turned to him. "H-Hi, Adrien!" She squeaked.

"Nino told me he'd be absent today," he spoke, frowning. "Guess it'll be just the three of us today." He had no proof that Alya was absent. For all he knew, she could be in the bathroom. But, if for once his luck was good, Marinette was just as best-friendless as he was.

"Ah, actually, no," she mumbled, biting her lip and not meeting him in the eyes. His heart jumped at her answer, was she really alone today? "Alya won't be here either, she texted me this morning."

Yes! He schooled his expression so that he just raised his eyebrows, appearing to look surprised by this revelation. "Really? Huh. Then I guess it's just us two for today." He winked quickly, finishing off the semi-flirtatious remark. The blackette blinked at him, as though confused by something.

Nevertheless, he was still smiling warmly. "Since Alya and Nino won't be here, want to sit next to me?"

Marinette stopped breathing and her mouth dropped open a little. He winced at the reaction, was that pushing her too far? She probably didn't want to sit next to him, and now she feels like she's trapped. If she says yes, then she'll be stuck with him, if she refuses, she'll look rude in front of everyone.

He didn't deny that it hurt.

"Marinette? It-It's okay if you don't-"

"Yes!" She exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. Adrien stopped talking when she spoke, eyes a bit wide at the volume of her tone.

As if realizing this, she cleared her throat and tried again. "I mean, yes, I'll sit with you."

He smiled on instinct at her answer. "Great!" He scooted down so that she wouldn't have to walk all the way to the other side of the bench. He saw her smile at the gesture before she sat down in his previous spot.

It was quiet for about a minute, in which Adrien was thinking of something to say. His eyes brightened when he did think of an idea, something seemingly innocent yet important to them both.

The blond turned to her, propping his elbow on the desk and resting a fist on his cheek. "So, how was your Halloween?" he asked, a slow smile stretching his lips. He hoped she really did have a nice night and had fun with Chat Noir.

Her sapphire orbs twinkled with amusement. Her lips slightly puckered as she was fighting off giggles, but ultimately some escaped. "It-It was very good. Very nice."

He knew just what she was giggling at, the knowledge making his eyebrows furrow but a tender smile to play at his lips.

Marinette calmed down to ask him a question of her own. "How was yours? Did you go to Aurore's party?"

 _No, because I chose to spend it with you._ He shook his head. "Nah. I didn't feel like going." It wasn't technically a lie.

"Oh."

Back to the awkward silence. Adrien pondered on something interesting to say, maybe somehow make a remark about Chat Noir. But just as he was about to talk to her again, a very familiar screech tore through the air and into his ears.

Irritation at being interrupted clouded his mind, yet there was enough clarity to regain control and mask his features to a look of concern. His green eyes followed Chloe and Sabrina as they stomped to his bench, neither looking too happy.

Chloe tried smiling, but it came out as more of a grimace. "Adrikins, why the sudden seat change?"

He shrugged indifferently. If he told Chloe the real reason, he'd never hear the end of her screaming. "Nino and Alya aren't here, so I thought it'd be nice to have Marinette sit next to me."

Her icy eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "Why didn't you ask _me_?!"

"You have Sabrina, I'm sure you wouldn't want to abandon her," he lied easily. Truthfully, the girl would most likely be more than willing to leave her best friend behind if it meant sitting next to him.

"B-But we're childhood sweethearts! I'd always sit next to you."

He scowled at the statement. "We were not childhood sweethearts."

"But-"

Adrien mentally breathed a sigh of relief when the blonde was interrupted by the teacher walking in and greeting the class. He didn't miss the way Chloe glared daggers at Marinette before pouting and going to her seat, followed closely by Sabrina.

He closed his eyes and rubbed a hand along his face. "Thank God," he mumbled. He hardly ever got this annoyed with other criminals. How can Chloe be so infuriating to deal with?

He diligently copied the notes for the lesson, writing them down word for word. It may or may not have had to do with trying to impress Marinette and how he wanted her to think he was smart and a good student. Yep, it had nothing to do with that.

When she wasn't looking, he'd sneak glances at her. At one point they happened to meet each other's eyes. Her bluebell eyes were wide with surprise at being caught. Adrien offered a playful grin and went back to his work.

Soon enough, he was growing a bit restless. Marinette was sitting next to him, yet he was doing absolutely nothing about it! He should change that.

Smirking when the idea came to him, he slowly scooted closer to her, at a pace where it wasn't noticeable to the teacher, Marinette, or the other students.

Eventually he got close enough to smell the faint vanilla scent coming from her. It was honestly the perfect aroma, not too strong but just soft enough to be enticing and leave him wanting more.

Marinette suddenly turned towards him, eyes wide and a fierce blush lighting her cheeks.

Adrien's lips spread into a warm, inviting smile. "Hey, I missed some of the notes from the last slide. Can I copy?"

He noticed her swallow in obvious nervousness. Nevertheless, she nodded her consent.

He thanked her and bit back a grin as he looked over at her tablet and began copying off her. He made sure to lightly bump her elbow with his as he wrote, all the while trying to fight off an amused smirk.

Should he take it farther? He spared a glance at her and saw she was looking straight in front of her at the chalkboard, not paying attention to him at all.

Well, he'll have to see to that, won't he?

The blond moved his head to the side closer to her own, like he was trying to see her notes better. He became so close that a stray lock of his hair brushed against her cheek. He heard her sharp intake of breath and saw her bite her lip.

He hid a satisfied smile and continued copying her notes as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

When he was done, he craned his neck around to look her in the eye. "Thanks, Marinette!"

She quickly nodded. "Y-Yeah, s-sure! No, no problem!" She stuttered a whisper, her cheeks becoming a deeper red.

He ended up staying at her side for the entire class. It may have been a bit mean to get her flustered like this, but hey, at least she's affected by him, right? That must mean she likes him to some degree, right?

When the bell rang, he stood and began packing up his things, not missing the amusing sigh of relief that came out of Marinette's mouth. Just as she was about to leave, he stopped her by thanking her for letting him copy the notes.

She blinked before squeaking out, "no problem!"

"You know," he trailed off, eyeing her with a mischievous grin as the thought came to him. "I don't think Nino and Alya are really sick today."

The blackette adorably tilted her head in her confused state. "What do you mean?"

Adrien chuckled at her innocence. "I think they just took the day off to do other activities."

It took a minute, but at last the light bulb seemed to shine, as she gasped and her eyes widened comically. He couldn't resist laughing at her expression and walked out the door to his next class.

...

At lunchtime, he tried to find Marinette in order to ask her to spend her time with him. He planned on taking her to the cafe he, Marinette, Alya, and Nino all previously went to before Halloween. But alas, he couldn't find a single trace of her. It was like she vanished into thin air.

"Adrikins!"

Adrien softly groaned but plastered on a smile when he faced his childhood friend. Sabrina was standing diligently next to her with a sneaky smile on her face that perfectly matched Chloe's.

"Would you like to join us for lunch?" Chloe asked, batting her eyelashes and forming her lips into a pout.

His green eyes darted around the hallway, looking for any sign of the elusive designer.

"Actually, um, I was having lunch with..."

No sign of her.

He released a defeated sigh. "...You."

Chloe squealed and latched onto his arm, tugging him away to the exit of the school and to her limo.

...

Marinette avoided him like the plague the rest of the day. Yes, it got on his nerves a little, but it was overpowered with puzzlement. What did he do to make her act like that around him? Did he creep her out in class? Did he go too far?

He shook those patronizing thoughts away. Now wasn't the time for thinking about his civilian life, he had a job to do.

A row of white teeth glinted in the moonlight as the owner surveyed the closed jewelry store, not a soul in sight.

The feline thief skillfully leaped onto the roof and was easily able to find a way in. Opening the display cases, he grabbed as much jewelry as he could into his hands and placed it all into the black sack he held.

Chat Noir jumped as the sound of glass shattering smashed against his ears. His heart pounded in fear as he whipped his head around, expecting police, but instead was met with four men in all-black outfits standing inside the shop, glass shards and a big, gaping hole where the front door used to be behind them.

His heart rate slowed as he looked at them with narrowed eyes. They didn't look familiar at all...must be some randoms.

Chat planted a wide smile on his face. "Sorry, gentlemen, but this shop has already been spoken for."

The one in the middle spoke. "We don't care. We've been eyeing up this shop, you're going to leave."

Chat laughed at the demand. They must really be out of the loop if they didn't recognize him. Aiming to kickstart their memories, he took hold of his very feline-esque belt-tail and casually twirled it around as he responded.

"Now, boys, don't you know who I am? Trust me, you don't want to do what I think you're going to do."

The one on the right end talked this time. "We know who you are, _Chat Noir_. But however good you may be, there's still four of us and only one of you. You don't stand a chance."

The handsome criminal chuckled and ceased spinning his tail, letting it hover above the ground again. "I'm willing to take that chance. There's a reason why they call me the best."

He put down the sack of jewels and crouched into a fighting stance. Immediately the four men slowly walked to him, Chat kept his eyes trained on them the entire time for any sudden moves. It threw him off a bit when instead of lunging for him, they decided to surround him, instead.

He masked his concern with a laugh. "Is this an attempt to intimidate me? I'll tell you right now, hardly anything in this world can scare me."

"And soon that will include us," one man said and that's when he made his move.

With the agility of an acrobat, Chat leapt over the man and when he landed, spun around to face the barrage of attackers. One rushed at him and tried to punch him, but Chat ducked just in time and delivered a punch to his stomach, making him bend over and moan in pain. Meanwhile, a man sneaked up behind him, so Chat rose his leg and kicked into his abdomen, causing the man to groan and collapse.

After awhile, it seemed the fight was going back and forth with neither side gaining an advantage. Chat may be the best, but even he had to admit that fighting four men at once was a challenge. A challenge that he accomplished once before, but these guys were proving to be much better fighters than the last four he faced.

Taking a quick breath, he caught his attacker's fist in his hand and didn't waste time to connect his fist with his face. The other two then tried to fight him, Chat blocking and moving to get in a few hits.

Chat grunted when he felt the weight of a man landing on his back and trying to choke him. He frowned and tried to get him off.

That's when he felt it. He froze as he felt a fiery pain in his lower left side. Gritting his teeth and letting out a low groan, he dropped to the floor, the previous weight on his back disappearing.

The blond glared venomously at the man standing above him, holding a knife dripping with _his_ blood. He saw his lips curl into a smile in the ski mask.

"Took you long enough," one of them complained while gasping for breath.

His dagger-wielding assailant shrugged his shoulders. "He wouldn't sit still for long enough. Let's just take this and get out. Cops will probably be here soon."

Chat, helpless to stop them, remained collapsed on the floor in a puddle of his own blood. He watched with anger as one of them picked up his sack and continued to fill it with jewels before proceeding out of the shop.

"I guess you _were_ the best, Chat Noir," one man teased smugly.

Chat clenched his teeth. "I am, when I'm fighting with people who are fair. What your buddy did was dirty."

He shrugged with a grin on his lips. "Nothing's fair in this world, _buddy_. I thought you'd know that already, given your reputation. Geez, they really over-exaggerated. Unbeatable, skilled, the best, cunning...why, you're just a disappointment."

Chat growled and reached for his baton. Grabbing it, he extended it and swiped it under the unsuspecting man's legs, causing him to fall on his ass.

He grinned when the lesser criminal narrowed his eyes at him. "You son of a-"

"Hey!" The man holding the knife shouted, halfway out the hole leading to the outside. "Let's go. Stop wasting your time on this guy."

His friend frowned, glanced between him and the man holding the knife, then back to him again. "Coming," he finally decided, faintly pouting. He trudged to the hole and they disappeared into the night.

Chat Noir groaned and gritted his teeth. He rolled over to inspect the damage.

A clean swipe across his lower left area, covered in blood. It was definite that he'd need stitches, along with a new suit. Hawk Moth didn't like giving out multiple suits, but this is only his third one in three years, so his boss probably wouldn't mind too much.

But how would he get the stitches? He needed them fast, and he didn't know a doctor. He couldn't go to the hospital; they'd patch him up then send him straight to a jail cell.

He just needed someone handy with a needle-

He knew the perfect girl for the job.

...

He was about ready to collapse in exhaustion when he arrived at the familiar balcony. This trip was the hardest he had ever made, and he hoped he would never have to do something like that again. His head was swirling when he raised his knuckles to knock on the trapdoor.

He waited for a few seconds but she didn't come. Her light was on, he knew she was awake. Grimacing, he knocked again, louder this time. He closed his eyes and scowled at the pain.

 _Please come, please come._

At last, Chat heard the heavenly sound of her trapdoor opening, along with Marinette's gasp of shock.

"Chat Noir? What happened?" She asked frantically.

He didn't have the energy to answer her. Instead, he tumbled through the opening, barely avoiding her, and landed on her bed. Lying on his back so he wouldn't get blood on the sheets, he craned his neck back and moaned.

"Chat...what happened to you?" She whispered in concern.

He clenched his teeth at the memory. "Bastard had a knife," he bit out, beyond pissed. "While I was busy with the three assholes the fourth jumped me and one of them slashed at me with the knife."

Her forget-me-not eyes seemed to bulge. "Ar-Are you okay?!"

A wry grin crossed his face at her question. "I will be, if you can do what I hope you can do."

She faltered for a second, frowning and raising an eyebrow. "What can I do?"

"This is a pretty big cut, Princess. It's not something a band-aid will take care of. You're going to have to give me stitches."

She flinched back at his answer and looked at him like he grew a second head. "Are you crazy?! I'm not a doctor!"

"Well it's not like I can go to a real one!" He snapped, anger spiking. He shrunk back when he realized his mistake. "I'm sorry, Princess. I didn't mean to yell at you."

She blinked in surprise before forgiving him. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "How am I supposed to help you?"

"Get a needle and thread and sew me back together," he explained bluntly.

The blackette looked she was about to be sick at his choice of words.

"You're a designer, Princess. You know what to do," he soothed, trying to encourage her.

"I sew clothes, not people!" She shrieked.

"Please," he begged, clenching his teeth again. "Please, help me. I'm losing more blood than I would like to at the moment."

She paused. "Alright," she decided, sighing. "Come on."

She gently helped him out of the bed and down the stairs before laying him on the floor. She got him a pillow for his head and grabbed her sewing kit before hurrying to the bathroom, probably to wash the needle she'd use.

When she came back she sat down beside him. He eased his hand away from the wound, not missing the flinch that Marinette gave when she saw it.

Without a word, he grabbed the zipper on his suit and pulled it down, then removed his arms from the sleeves so the top half just lay on the floor.

He saw her eyes zero in on his muscle and her cheeks color.

On any normal night, he would've taken pride in her admiration and teased her relentlessly about it. Unfortunately, it wasn't an ordinary night.

"While normally I'd love for you to admire my body," he drawled, causing Marinette to tear her gaze away and settle on his eyes. "We have a more pressing matter at hand."

She quickly nodded and started to wrap the thread in the needle. When she was done, she lowered it and simply stared at the gash, seeming to ponder of what to do.

"Just like your clothes," he advised, closing his eyes and mentally bracing himself. "Just imagine I'm a shirt or something."

"Won't this hurt you?" Marinette questioned timidly.

Not looking at her, Chat Noir released a bitter laugh. Sometimes she was just too precious. "Princess, no matter what happens I'm going to be hurting. Just get to work."

She nodded, visibly swallowed, then poked his skin with the needle. He bit his lip at the small twinge of pain, bracing himself for more, but found himself holding in a shout as it went through the other side of the piece of skin.

He knew it was going to hurt, but hell, this was horrible.

He bit back a scream when she finished the first stitch. Marinette froze at his agony, but he managed to tell her to get on with it. The sooner this was finished the better.

A nervous whimper tore from her throat as she got back to work. As if getting slashed by a knife and getting pricked by a needle wasn't bad enough, he made a sound like _that_ come out of her. What kind of guy was he, anyway? Making this sweet girl stitch up a messy wound and getting her hands soiled by his blood. This was probably terrified, not to mention completely grossed out.

"Why were you fighting four guys?" She suddenly asked, breaking him out of his miserable thoughts.

He faltered before answering. "Went to rob a jewelry store, four bastards also decided to rob it. They interrupt me, I tell them to leave because I was there first, then they fight me. I can take on four guys at once... _without_ weapons. Two, maybe three, if they have weapons. Anyway, I got stabbed. Normally I'd continue to fight, but that bastard got me good. I knew I wasn't going to win that battle. So I left, and now all that jewelry is going to be in their hands. That's the real tragedy of this story."

The blackette scowled at his answer. He guessed it had to do with his sarcasm at the end.

"Chat, you can't try to take on four guys at once."

Oh. That's what she was mad about? What for?

"I did it before." It wasn't like he was inexperienced. Why was she mad?

"And you said you would normally continue to fight. Have you gotten stabbed before?"

"Yes. But they were only minor cuts. This one is the worst I ever got."

She didn't look at him as she worked. "You need to be more careful," she scolded.

"I know." A corner of his mouth quirked up in amusement. "If I died then you wouldn't have a knight to protect you, Princess."

She scowled. "I mean it, Chat Noir. Not for me, but for yourself. You need to stay safe for yourself."

"Can't do that," he replied automatically. She was what mattered most, he valued her more than his own life.

Marinette stopped to glare at him. "Yes, you can. I don't matter. I want you to stay safe for yourself."

His eyes narrowed. How can she think she doesn't matter? Was Chloe getting to her? "Don't ever say that. You _do_ matter. Stop arguing with me on this, you're not going to win."

"Chat-"

"I'm still bleeding, in case you haven't noticed," he interrupted dryly. He wasn't going to let her try to contridict him.

He heard a few unintelligle grumbles escape her mouth as she got back to work. He smirked at the noises, but it vanished when he felt the needle pierce him again. At last he resolved to try to relax and just bear it, it'd be over soon.

The blond studied his impromtu-doctor as she worked. He loved the way her tongue poked out of her mouth in concentration, how her eyes were narrowed and trained on the task at hand.

Finally, it was done. Marinette stood.

"I'll clean it up," she said.

"No need," he answered. He bit his lip at the lingering pain and stood with her, although the movement was a lot more shakier than hers had been. "I can clean it at home. Thank you, though."

Her eyes flickered down to her hands and she grimaced at the sight of his dried blood on them. Chat looked at his stitched-up wound, he couldn't help but grin at the superb job she did. He zipped up his suit and took a step towards her.

"Thank you, Princess." He took both of her hands in his own and kissed them, bloodstained and all. "I am forever in your debt."

She closed her eyes and sighed through her nose. "Please. _Please_ be more careful."

He frowned at the pleading tone and used a finger to tilt her head up. A pang of hurt hit his heart when she opened her eyes and he saw they were moist with unshed tears.

"I'll be more careful," he stated. Hoping to lighten the mood, he grinned and added a pun. " _Purr_ omise."

"I'm serious, Chat. I don't want you getting stabbed again."

"You'll never have to stich me up again," he promised. He could find someone to do it, it shouldn't be too hard. He wouldn't make her go through this again.

"That's not it!" She snapped, sapphire eyes blazing with anger and another emotion he couldn't put a finger on. Her sudden change in attitude made him blink in astonishment.

"It's not about me stitching you up, it's about you getting hurt. I don't want you to get hurt again!"

His eyes slowly enlarged. His mouth parted slightly in wonder.

She was mad...because she cared about him? Judging by her reaction, it seemed she cared about him deeply.

A smile slowly spread across his face, he was fully touched at her care for him. This sweet, beautiful girl cared about him and didn't want him to get hurt. Well, he'd surely have to be more careful now, in this case.

"I will be more careful," he vowed. He bent his head to press his lips to her knuckles, sealing the oath. "Promise." He kissed her hands again, trying to prove to her that he meant it.

Chat gently let go of her hands and carefully walked the staircase leading to her bed. Before hauling himself out of her room, he bit his lip to prepare for the strain. As he leapt, he made a small groan, but no other noise to showcase his pain.

"Good night, Princess," he bid before vanishing. He wanted nothing more than to relax in his bed, but for now, he had to go order a new suit.

* * *

 **A/N: I went to the Toys R Us by my campus and they had some Miraculous toys. I got the Chat Noir doll (the big one, not the little figurine) and omg, people, he is RIPPED x'D He has a freaking six pack, does that mean he has a six pack in the show? xD And he has buns of steel. Seriously, his ass is rock hard lmao. Besides that, it's an awesome doll, it even has a real bell on it! :D**

 **Kinda low-key want to see a pic of Chat kissing Marinette's bloodstained hands. Idk what's wrong with me xD**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:**

 **Adrien: This year, I lost my dear mother.**

 **Mama Agreste: Quit telling everyone I'm missing!**

 **Adrien: Sometimes, I can still hear her voice.**

 **Sorry, I just always wanted to tell that joke xD Also, I did some exploring on the internet, and found that On The Prowl got recommended on tvtropes! Thank you Melody Rose Gold for recommending it :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

When Adrien woke in the morning, he was reminded by last night's activities by a burning pain in his lower left side, causing him to grimace.

With a groan, he hauled himself into a sitting position. He trailed a hand down his face tiredly.

School was going to be hard enough as it was. Just his luck he'd have a photo shoot right after to go to, which would probably last a few hours. He wouldn't be able to get to bed until later that night.

Hawk Moth took pity on him and gave him a few days off to recuperate. Despite being a crime lord, he had a heart and occasionally used it.

Or it might be because he'd be losing a lot of money if his best criminal keeled over.

He scoffed in amusement as he sat up, lips tugging down as the pain worsened in the movement.

It would be anyone's guess as to why Hawk Moth gave him a few days off.

When he made it at school, he made sure to hurry out of the limo like he did on any normal day so as to not raise suspicion about his injury. His father would ban him from the outside world and probably put iron bars outside his windows to keep him inside.

Obviously, he couldn't afford for that to happen. Although, with his father's idea of trapping him, would Hawk Moth even find a way to break in and kill him?

Yes. He would.

Adrien held back a wince as he started up the school steps. He schooled his features into a smile when he managed to meet up with Nino.

"Hey, bro!" Nino greeted cheerfully, holding out a fist to bump. Adrien took the cue and completed the ritual. Afterwards, instead of going right into a story about some music artist, Nino actually frowned.

"You okay? You look a little pale."

The blond plastered on a smile to appease his friend's worries. "I'm fine, Nino. Never better."

Nino retained the skeptical look but let the issue go, diving right back into the story. The pair continued like this until they made their way to their class, with Nino saying something to make the blond laugh, momentarily making him forget about his injury.

It came back in full force as he shook in laughter, irritating the wound. But he still forced the smile on his face, he didn't want Nino to get suspicious.

He walked to his desk like on any other day, but grimaced when he realized how hard it would be to maneuver himself into the seat. This day was going to be torture, he should've just stayed home and claimed he had a fever.

Nah. Nathalie wouldn't have believed that bullshit.

When he eased himself down into the seat, he heard Nino ask if he was okay again.

Well, he couldn't really say he was completely fine now. He had to tell Nino something.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just hurt my leg in fencing yesterday," he lied. He didn't need to know he didn't even have fencing the day before.

He frowned. "That sucks."

"Yeah, it does," he agreed with a chuckle. Remembering just who was behind him, he turned around to face the girls.

"Morning, Alya," he greeted as per usual. His smile widened as he glanced at the next girl. "Hi, Marinette!"

A smile lit up her face, making him melt. "Hi, Adrien! I c-couldn't help but overhear earlier...I-I hope your leg gets b-better soon."

He smiled at her concern, also noticing how her cheeks colored into that lovely shade of pink.

He grinned. "Thank you, Marinette. Me too."

...

Thankfully, Adrien's stab wound seemed to be getting better and better everyday. As the pain lessened, he found it was getting easier to function normally. He wasn't limping as much, and sitting down became an easier task.

He estimated he could remove the stitches very soon, but was willing to try his luck back out on the field again. On Friday night he decided to go back to the same jewelry store he got stabbed at and got the job done. Remembering the promise he made to Marinette, he made sure to tread carefully and look for the first sign of danger.

Nothing happened and so he was able to bring the jewelry back to Hawk Moth, both to finish the original task and to make up for his mini vacation. His boss was pleased and told him to not be shy about robbing another store sometime soon.

And now, on this sunny afternoon, Chat Noir found himself slinking across the rooftops to a certain raven-haired girl's balcony. He hadn't visited her since the incident and was itching to do so, especially since his interaction with her at school was very limited.

When he got to the familiar place he grinned and tapped on the trapdoor with his claws. All he got in response was some muffled cursing and complaining. She was obviously miffed about something.

Curious, he opened it and poked his head through. Marinette was pacing back and forth in her room, grumbling incoherantly. He silently dropped down onto her bed, pausing only when she growled the first intelligble thing she said.

"If his stitches come undone, I'm not fixing him!"

Ah, so she was mad at him. He almost scoffed in amusement. Typical.

"Looks like the Princess has some claws of her own," he spoke smoothly, deciding that then would be a good time to reveal himself.

He snickered quietly when she shrieked in surprise, turning around to glare at him. He took the dirty look in stride with a smug grin, walking down the staircase before perching himself on her chaise lounge.

Marinette's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "What are you doing?! It's daylight, and you're committing crime when it's only been four days since you were stabbed. What the hell is wrong with you?"

He chuckled, fully touched that she was so concerned about him, and how she executed her show of care.

"Relax, Princess. I made sure to hide myself well when coming here. As for my stab wound, it's _feline_ better. In fact, I think I can remove the stitches soon. So no need to get your panties in a twist." He winked cheekily at her, only causing her to huff in annoyance and turn away from him.

He frowned. Was she really that worked up over him?

"Really, Marinette. I'm feeling better," he gently reassured. "And even at the store I made sure no one else was there. If there was I would've," he stopped, the corners of his mouth beginning to twitch as he thought of a pun.

 _Be serious, Chat, be serious. Don't crack a pun now...aw, screw it._

"...high- _tailed_ it out of there, just to be safe. You have nothing to worry about."

"I'm not worried," she replied flippantly. The edges of her lips were tugged down as she regarded him, taking on a look of complete indifference. "I don't care."

Oh, is that so?

"I seem to remember you telling me you didn't want me to be hurt? To be more careful?" He inquired lightly, barely being able to suppress a smirk. He eyed her with sadistic delight. "I think you do care."

She didn't answer him, only turning away from him again.

"Princess," he called, standing. "I know you care. It's okay, I care about you, too." He grinned.

The blackette made a strangled noise that resembled a growl and stalked off to her computer. He laughed at the pout on her face he could see when she sat down.

While she did whatever on the computer, Chat resolved to let himself relax. He snuggled deeper into the plush chaise, lightly sighing. It was rare he ever got a moment to truly relax. He was always either on his way to some type of appointment, in school, or watching his back for police and sometimes other criminals. It felt good to unwind.

He lazily opened one, green eye to look at the owner of comfortable chaise. His eyebrows lowered as he took in her pale face, paler than what was normal, anyway.

"Princess? What is it?"

"Two guys are robbing a bank," she replied, a little breathless in her shock.

His confusion grew at that statement. Why was she so surprised about this everyday crime? He chose to get up and shuffle closer to her, bending his head to her shoulder to read the article.

Two guys robbing a bank took some hostages. That was pretty much it.

He hummed when he read it, but his questions still weren't answered. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you so surprised? These things happen."

Her chair turned and she gave him a stern look. "This doesn't happen everyday, Chat. Normally they'll go in, get the money, and leave, not take people for hostages."

Hm. She had a point there, hostages were more of an uncommon case.

"This is why it's better to perform at night, so that you don't have to deal with all the unnecessary hassle of people. Looks to me like these guys are amateurs."

He scoffed in scorn. How could they be so dumb? If you make a big commotion, you're going to get caught. Did these idiots _want_ to go to jail?

"Some people just shouldn't be criminals, it makes the rest of us look bad."

"Are you seriously worried about your _ego_ right now?" Marinette snapped incredulously.

"No, it's already pretty well stroked." He smirked and rubbed a hand against his chest. "Paris's number one criminal, remember?"

The reputation of being the best lawbreaker _and_ having the priviledge of being around Marinette Dupain-Cheng?

He couldn't help but have a big ego.

She rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the computer screen. He took his time back to the chaise and settled back into it, waiting until she finished her business. He closed his eyes as he waited, smiling at the comfort the piece of furniture provided.

"Chat?" He heard her ask tentively.

He opened an eye, indicating that he heard her while a corner of his mouth turned up. "Yes, Princess?"

"You did say you were feeling better, right?"

He grinned. She was so cute when she cared. "I'm _feline purr_ etty well."

Marinette frowned, piquing Chat's interest. It was all too soon when her eyes seemed to gleam in determination.

"Could you go help the hostages? The men said they'll be killed if the police don't leave in ten minutes."

...What? Was she serious?

He sat up, eyes wide and unblinking in his astonishment. "I'm a villian, not a hero, Princess. I don't save the day."

Did she seriously expect him to help? He was the bad guy, not the good guy!

"You're the only one who could sneak in there and help. Please, Chat, people can die!" She pleaded.

He faltered at the vulnerable, begging look in her eyes. Maybe-

No. He was a criminal, not a hero. He doesn't save people.

He shrugged his shoulders. "People die everyday." The words left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Chat!"

"Marinette, I'm a _criminal_. I'm no hero, I'm not helping."

"Please, Chat! What if it was me in there?"

He glared at her. She knew he'd have a completely different answer to that, she knew he wouldn't hesitate to come to her rescue.

"That'd be different."

"How different?" She demanded.

"Because I care about you. I told you before I could give two shits about anyone else. Why do you want me to go help so bad, anyway?" He replied bluntly.

"Because they're innocent people! And now they could have their lives taken away all because of money. I know you're not a hero, but..." She trailed off, hanging down her head.

Chat Noir frowned at the tears leaking out of her eyes. He crossed his arms, his mouth thinned into a tight line. She cared so much about people she didn't even know. She really was too good for this world.

He knew she would never forgive him if he didn't save those hostages.

Besides, it pained him to see her in this kind of state. It was even worse that he was mostly the cause for it.

His reputation would be put on the line...but he'd risk it for her.

Although, why not try to get a little reward out of this? After all, she was asking a lot from a criminal.

"...I'll help."

Her head whipped up to face him so fast, he was honestly surprised she didn't get whiplash.

He held up a clawed finger. "On one condition."

She quickly nodded. "Anything!"

The edges of his mouth curved up at what exactly he wanted, and at the thought of getting it. Of course, he couldn't exactly tell her what it was.

"I want the value of all the banks in Paris."

Her jaw dropped, effectively amusing him. "H-How...?!"

"Clock's ticking, Princess," he sing-songed. "This offer won't be on the table for long."

She bit her lip, her eyes strayed to a spot on the floor in hurried thought.

At last, she uttered the three magic words. "Okay. I accept."

The smirk curled deeper on his face. By the end of the night, he'd be getting what he'd been dreaming about for three years. That is, of course, she was willing. He'd never force her.

"Excellent. I'll be back later, Princess."

He rushed over to her to take her hand and give it a kiss in parting. After that, he raced back up the staircase and heaved himself out of the trapdoor, knowing he didn't have much time left until the men killed the hostages.

Good thing he was fast.

He vaulted across the rooftops, not caring if anyone might have happened to see him. Even if they had, he was merely a black blur moving through the sky. They'd question their intelligence and move on with their day.

When he got near the bank, he crouched low on a nearby rooftop, away from prying eyes. He grit his teeth as he took in the barrage of police cars, the few snipers on other roofs, the sirens, and the occasional demands sounding through a megaphone.

Chat Noir hissed in aggravation. Getting in was surely going to prove to be a challenge, and he had no experience sneaking in like this.

Sneaking in during the night with nobody around with only the cameras and alarms? No problem.

Sneak in on a spur of the moment decision with no police around like at the museum? Not very smart, but possible.

If one person saw him, he was done for. He'd have to be quick to detain him in order for the person to not alert the others of his presence.

Damn.

"Release the hostages!" The policeman screamed through his megaphone, the words clearly audible to Chat.

He had to strain his hearing to understand the reply.

Four minutes.

Great. Four minutes to sneak in a place that was literally crawling with policemen on the outside.

Welp. Better get this started. He wanted that kiss and was fully prepared to work for it.

He trailed along the outer edges of the bank, always out of sight of the stray snipers. He eventually made it to the very back of the bank, a side that remained unguarded.

He grinned. It was an idiotic move on their part, but a godsend to him.

He used his baton to help him get to the window high above the ground. It seemed it was left open especially for him, usually black cats never have this kind of luck. The room was empty, so he crept down a few floors until making it to the main one.

As he came upon the scene, the first thing he noticed were two men holding gun standing guard over the hostages who were behind the bank tellars. Their backs were turned away from them to watch the two other men talk and/or scream at the police.

A woman, who looked to be in her mid-30's, opened her mouth when she saw the feline criminal. Whether she planned to unleash a gasp or a scream he didn't know, but either noise would've attracted attention.

He hurriedly slammed a finger against his lips in the universal sign to be silent.

Her eyebrows furrowed, confused.

The hostage next to her, a man who looked to be a few years older than her, also took notice of him. He, too, opened his mouth, but Chat once again put his finger against his lips and shook his head.

The two looked to each other with disbelief written on their faces. Dare they think that Chat Noir was going to rescue them?

He returned his attention to the two men, wondering how he could get them out of the way in the quickest way possible.

"Two minutes!" One man at the front screamed. "And then we'll blow their brains out!"

The hostages' heads snapped up at that, all began to shiver in fear. Some even had tears in their eyes.

But as soon as they heads were up, that let them have the perfect view of Chat on the staircase. Biting his lip in panic, he made the motion to be quiet again and furiously shook his head. He didn't need one of these idiots to blow his cover.

Thankfully, they all seemed to understand.

"That's it! I'm going to kill every-"

"Ahhh!"

He growled in aggravation.

All seemed to understand, except one stupid guy.

At once all four men spun around, allowing Chat to identify them.

As their eyes widened, Chat's narrowed.

Those bastards from the jewelry store. He felt his side throb at the memory of it.

"I thought you were dead!" One called out in surprise, coincidentally the one who stabbed him.

Chat took out his baton and extended it, then drapped it across his shoulders. The picture of casual, yet ready for fighting for when he should need it.

"Yes, well, here's a tip for murdering. Make sure you actually kill the guy before leaving him."

He took hold of the baton in his right hand, gripping it tightly. "Although, this time you won't be able to stab me again. I'll make sure to watch my back."

All four robbers' eyes glinted in amusement. All four raised their arms, along with their guns.

As soon as the shots rang out, Chat started spinning his weapon in front of him, the baton acting as a shield. The hostages screamed in fear as the bullets ricocheted off the metal, flying in different directions. They cowered down on the floor, covering their heads with their hands.

They kept shooting until their ammo ran out, stubbornly trying to kill the skillful cat. As they paused to get more bullets, Chat Noir struck on the first man in pouncing range, bringing him to the ground and slamming his baton into the back of his head.

The man instantly went limp. He'd wake up later to a nasty headache and a jail cell.

He turned and went for the next one, with him falling to the same fate.

He turned, seeing the other two were ready and had their guns drawn on him. Chat slowly stood from his crouched position and tightly gripped his baton.

His lips curved up, changing the tight line to a bittersweet grin.

"I've been waiting to sink my claws into you, after you inconvenienced me."

The barb sunk into its intended targets, the men glared and growled at the young criminal. To call their stabbing him and taking the robbery from him a minor _inconvenience_ , they couldn't help but feel stung.

"Trust us," the one on the right began, the so-called leader, if Chat remembered correctly, began. "After we're done with you, you won't be _inconvenienced_ anymore."

The man on the left reached into his back pocked and pulled out the familiar knife. Chat's eyes zeroed in on it, he instinctively stiffened at the sight of the gleaming weapon.

"And once again I'll have to clean your blood off it. Shame, it seems I can never keep a knife clean for long." He grinned savagely.

Chat clenched his teeth.

The leader fired the gun, prompting Chat to spin his baton and deflect the bullets. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed his friend running around, trying to get him from behind.

Chat ran forward, baton still wildy spinning in his palms, eager to get to the leader so he could take out the other guy. The leader's eyes grew wide at this, before they narrowed and hardened in stubborness and anger as he fired off more shots. He even tried shooting for his feet, but that didn't work. Chat's footfalls were too quick.

Shooting a quick glance behind him, Chat saw his buddy running right behind him, knife at the ready.

He scowled. Marinette would not be patching him up again, he promised to be more careful and to not get hurt, and it was a promise he intended to keep.

He quickly ducked low and swiped his baton into the shooter's feet, causing him to lose his footing and collapse on the ground. Chat drew down the baton on his head and backed away, just as the knife-wielder came upon him and tried to attack him.

Three down, one to go.

"Trying to hit me from behind again? A little cowardly, no?" Chat Noir remarked dryly, leaning on his staff. He idly wondered why the man wasn't using the gun he had earlier. Either he ran out of ammo, or wanted to paint knife with Chat's blood.

He would be disgusted, but then he remembered the gorey things he wanted to do to Jared and Kim, so let the thought pass.

The man shrugged and smirked. "Anything to win a fight. Now, let's get this over with. I still need the money and I'm sure the police aren't going to wait any longer to barge in here."

Chat nodded and took hold of his staff. The two came at each other, charging.

He swiped with the knife, but Chat successfully dodged and tried to land a hit with his baton. Unfortunately, he sidestepped out of the way.

The next time the two came at each other, Chat faked a swing to the left before quickly changing course and going to the right. The man didn't expect this and was immediately thrown off his feet.

The black cat's neutral expression didn't waver as he lifted his boot and stepped on the wrist whose hand was holding the weapon. He increased the pressure, and didn't stop until a satisfying crunch was heard, along with the man's cry of pain.

The blond leaned down toward his face, regarding him with a sneer. "You think that was painful? Getting slashed by that knife of yours and getting homemade stitches was that pain, times a hundred. Makes me wonder if I should break other bones, until I could be sure you feel what I have felt."

The man had the audacity to shiver in fear.

But Chat clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"Fortunately for you, there's a lovely girl who would never forgive me if she learned I did something like that to you. You should thank your lucky stars that she has such a kind heart."

The man blinked, apparently taken aback by this claim.

Chat wasted no more time and bashed him on the head, knocking him out cold. Glancing around, he noticed some decorative ribbon hung along the counters, and a bright grin reached his lips.

...

Chat dusted his hands clean as he admired his handiwork. The four goons were wrapped inside the ribbon, and he even finished off the knot into a bow! Marinette would be proud.

"Th-Thank you, Chat Noir," a newly-freed woman said with gratitude lacing her voice, yet still having undertones of caution. Chat may have saved them, but he was no hero.

"You're welcome," he replied. nodding. "Now listen to me, all of you."

The ex-hostages stared solemnly back at him.

"Do not tell anyone that I rescued you. If I hear about it, I won't hesitate to sink my claws in you. Got it?"

The people nervously nodded.

"Good. Now get out of here."

...

Chat resolved to return at around 11:00. It was the perfect time for a nightly rendezvous, and he wanted the atmosphere to be perfect. Well, that is, if she let him do what he wanted to.

He tapped on her glass door and all-too-soon she opened, letting him drop down and land on all-fours.

He grinned. "I've come to collect, Princess."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

At his declaration she seemed to freeze in astonishment. Her eyes were full-blown wide as they stared at him.

"Now?" She squeaked in pure disbelief.

Chat grinned in anticipation. "Yes, now. You agreed to give me the value of all the banks in Paris if I saved the hostages, which I did. I even wrapped the idiots in a big, pretty bow as a present for our city's finest. And now I've come to collect."

"B-But I don't have it!" She spluttered out, making those crazy hand gestures she did whenever she got flustered. While other people would be weirded out by something like that, he thought it was cute. Oh, well. Love is blind, as they say.

"Yes, you do," he insisted. "You've always had it. What, did you think I was talking about pastries or something?" He chuckled, knowing full well that was most likely what she was thinking.

She took on an expression that could only be dumbfounded, looking at him like he just gave her the riddle of the universe to solve. It made another noise of amusement escape past his lips.

Marinette couldn't be this innocent. She had to have had at least a little hint on what he was talking about.

"I think you know exactly what I want," he murmured, bringing a hand to her cheek. He wished he could feel her skin through the gloves. He had a feeling it was as soft and smooth as it looked.

Deciding to be more bold, Chat ran his thumb over her parted lips, mindful not to accidentally scratch her with the claw.

He looked up at her and noticed her eyes were drawn to his thumb. But soon she looked up beneath her lashes to lock gazes with him, watery blue meeting emerald green.

When he heard her intake of breath, thinking she was trying to speak, he took his thumb away.

"You want a-a kiss?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Correct." He shuffled a little closer to her. "But I would never force myself on you."

Above all else, he wanted her to know that he would never force his attentions on her. He would never be like Jared or Kim, he would never hurt her like they did.

He wanted her to trust him.

As he gazed at her, hand still on her cheek, he noticed that the lamplight seemed to make her sapphire eyes glow.

Chat honestly couldn't believe he was here with her. How a girl this beautiful and amazing let him be around her, and possibly let him kiss her, was a wonder he'd never truly know the answer to.

At last she let out a long, slow breath past her lips. Her eyes lowered to the bed when she nodded.

"W-Well, I can't go back on my word."

He smiled warmly at her words. She wanted him to kiss her! He couldn't mess this up.

He placed his other hand on her cheek, cradling her face. He bent his head to where there was only a hair's width of distance between their lips. Her warm breath blew over his lips and mingled with his own, causing a shiver of desire to run down his back.

"You're right, it isn't a good thing to break your deals," he murmured, his voice a tad huskier than when he last spoke.

"Especially when I'm dealing with a thief," she breathed.

Said thief smirked wickedly. "Especially then."

Without waiting another second he pressed his lips to hers.

Warmth. Her lips were so warm as they moved and molded against his own. His eyes were closed in bliss as he kissed her, for this was far better than any dream he could conjure up.

He groaned in pleasure when Marinette brought her hands into his hair and tugged, inducing him to increase the pressure of the kiss.

Chat found himself instinctively maneuvering her to lay down on the bed, not once separating his mouth from hers. He was holding himself above her so as not to crush her with his weight, and his hands positioned across both sides of her head.

He wanted more. He poked the tip of his tongue on her top lip, asking for entrance. She granted him permission and soon their tongues were in a heated dance that made him almost dizzy from the sensual satisfaction. He groaned again when she tightened her hold on his hair.

Deciding to perform a test again, he pulled away and lightly nipped on her bottom lip. He could hear her try to hold back the strangled moan, eliciting a husky chuckle from his throat.

He was aware of her gasp when he began to trail kisses down the smooth column of her neck. Her sounds of enjoyment urged him on, until he got to the point where neck met with shoulder, like in his dream.

And like dream Adrien he bit down on the flesh, intent on leaving a mark.

 _"Ma Princesse,"_ he purred before starting to suck on the spot.

Her answer was a gasp as her hands traveled from his hair to his shoulders, where she squeezed tightly.

When he was finished he licked the bite to soothe it. He couldn't help but smirk smugly at the reddening mark he had left. He didn't too much time looking at it though, bringing his head to the hollow of her throat and planting a kiss there before moving his way back up to her lips.

He's vaguely aware that he's losing control, but he couldn't help himself at this point. This girl was purely addicting, it was hard to cease contact with her.

As he slipped his tongue in her mouth again and heard her make another moan, his mind was in a haze of lust. He just wanted more and more, and it seemed she was willing to give and give.

No. He shouldn't be doing this. He only requested one kiss, this was like betraying and lying to her.

With great will he pulled away. She looked up at him with half-lidded eyes darkened with desire, her lips were pink and swollen from his attentions. She looked so unbelievably gorgeous in that moment that he was tempted to just swoop down and capture her lips again and resume what they had going.

No. He had to hold himself back. He had to prove he wasn't like those other guys.

"I'm sorry, Princess," he apologized. He was slightly surprised when he voice sounded rougher than it ever had before, like he smoked an entire pack of cigarettes. He cleared his throat and continued. "I got carried away."

Marinette breathed in deeply before letting it out. "It-It's okay."

Chat bit his lip and glanced away. "You only allowed one kiss, but I took it too far," he continued shamefully. Would she be mad at him?

He looked back at her as he grazed his knuckles tenderly over her cheek. "I'm so sorry."

"Chat, it's okay," she repeated. "I-" she bit her lip and blushed when continuing shyly, "I liked it."

All his worries evaporated at her words, prompting a slow, fond smile to come to his features.

"I liked it, too."

He bent his head to nuzzle the crook of her neck, much like a cat would. "I should go, it's late," he mumbled. It wasn't healthy for her to stay up this late, she needed her sleep.

He felt her nod in agreement.

"Good night," she bid when he pulled away.

"Good night, Princess," he whispered before planting a soft kiss to her forehead in farewell. Seconds after he was out of the hatch and back into the crisp night air, well on his way back to the mansion.

As usual he made it back to his room completely undetected. Unfortunately, when changing out of the suit and into his sleepwear, he managed to wake up Plagg.

"Sorry, boy," Adrien sheepishly apologized.

Plagg meowed from his position on the pillow on Adrien's bed and let out an indignant sniff.

"I would say it wasn't my fault, but it honestly was. It was only supposed to be one kiss, then I would've immediately came back home. But-" he paused to sigh dreamily. "It was amazing, Plagg. I couldn't stop."

Plagg mewled again, turning his nose up in the air at him. It was as if he was berating his owner and not believing his excuses.

"Easy for you to act like that," Adrien retorted while taking off the cat ears. "You don't have a girl you like. All you care about is cheese."

The cat meowed in agreement.

The blond snickered. "You know, I bet if I got a girl cat, you wouldn't even care. Would you?"

He made another mewl and finally turned away from him, probably to finish his sleep.

Adrien yawned and climbed in bed beside his pet, giving him a rub on the crown of his head. Plagg began to purr and pushed his head up to meet with his master's hand, asking for more attention.

He laughed lightly and did what was silently asked.

...

On Monday, when Adrien came into class, he was smirking in anticipation for his first interaction with Marinette after their kiss. Not that she knew she kissed Adrien, of course. Still, maybe he could find a way to hint at it somehow and see her blush.

All his possible plans went out the window when he found her sitting at her desk with her head down. Alya was leaning over her in concern, rubbing a hand on her back for comfort.

He walked up to her, frowning. "Marinette? What's wrong?"

To his terror she made a garbled sound that sounded like a sob. She further buried her head in her arms.

Adrien rounded on Alya. "What's wrong with her?" He demanded. Did she do this? No, she was Marinette's best friend, she couldn't have done this. But who? He'd claw their eyes out once he found out.

Alya only shrugged her shoulders. "She's been like this all morning. I have no idea what's wrong."

He nodded and returned his attention to the crying blackette.

"Marinette?" He tried, reaching out to her elbow to try to comfort her. He blinked in shock when she recoiled as though he burned her before continuing to cry.

He retracted his hand with a frown and sat down in his seat.

...

He was fully aware he had a photo shoot after school. He shouldn't have suited up and went to Marinette's house, knowing there was hardly any time for a visit. But none of that mattered, because he needed to find out what was wrong.

Was it their kiss? Did she regret it? He hoped not.

His heart broke when he found her in her bed, huddled with a pillow and crying. He didn't even ask permission to come in, instead dropping down onto the bed and bringing her to him for a hug.

"Princess, what's wrong?" He asked in possibly the most gentle tone he had ever used. "Please tell me so I can claw the perpetrator's eyes out."

"You'd have to claw your own eyes out," she mumbled.

He removed his arms from around her side in confusion and hurt. "What did I do? Whatever it is, I'm sorry, Marinette."

It was their kiss, wasn't it? Dammit, why did he do that? It was so stupid! He never should've fooled himself into thinking she wanted it.

He heard her sigh and saw her roll around to face him. Her cheeks were red and stained with tears.

"I lied. It's me. I-I kissed you and-and I love someone else. I-I'm a-a-a," he waited anxiously for her next word, "slut."

Chat's eyes blazed in fury upon hearing that word. "You are not a slut! Don't ever say that about yourself!"

How could she think that?! She was nowhere near a slut. Where did she get the idea?

"But it's true!" She screamed, sitting up. "I love another man and I kissed you! What does that make me?"

"Smart?" He guessed with a half-grin. In reality, he was bristling at the knowledge that she had feelings for someone else. Who was this jerk?

She growled in anger and slapped his shoulder. "I'm serious! I've loved this guy for a long time and when a willing guy comes along I just kiss him! I'm a horrible excuse for a girl."

"Stop talking about yourself like that," he hissed, scowling. He placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "You're a wonderful, beautiful, amazing girl. You're a princess. Don't ever defile yourself with those hateful thoughts. You may love another man, but even though you kissed me, it doesn't make you a slut. You're the furthest thing from it. Please stop crying, Princess."

She paused, finally ceasing her sobbing, though a few tears still trailed down her cheeks.

Marinette sighed. "Okay."

He smiled and they both laid back down, with him wrapping his arms around her again. He kissed a tear trail on her cheek, hoping she meant it when she agreed with him.

After a minute of tense silence, he spoke. "So, who's this guy who needs to have my claws buried in his heart?"

Although he was jealous, his stomach flipped when she let out a giggle. "I'm not telling you."

"Come on, I need to know who my competition is," he pressed playfully. He'd have to double his efforts to win her over if her feelings were split.

"I'm not telling you, Chat," she laughed.

"Not even if I promise not to hurt him?"

"Not even then."

"At least tell me what he looks like. He can't be more attractive than _me_."

The conceited line made her chuckle. "Well, he has blond hair and green eyes."

Blond hair and green eyes? Who did he know that had that combo?

"What a copycat," he scoffed. "What's his name?"

The blackette smirked. He could tell she was really enjoying this. "Still not telling you."

"What does his first name start with?" He asked. He had to have something other than her last clue, it was too vague and he needed answers.

"A."

He tensed. Blond hair, green eyes, and their first name starts with an A. There was only one boy who he knew with those attributes, and his name was Adrien Agreste. Could she really like his civilian identity? She must've.

"I see."

"Don't be jealous, it's not attractive," she teased with a giggle.

"But my princess has someone else occupying her heart. This can't do," he moaned in mock-despair. "I shall conquer your heart, yet. I would say I'm off to a pretty good start." He peered at her with a sly grin at his reference of their kiss. He wasn't disappointed when he saw her cheeks color in a blush.

"I'm glad you're _feline_ better, Princess. Don't ever think so lowly of yourself." He planted a tender kiss to her forehead when finishing the soft order.

He wished he could've spent the rest of the afternoon and evening here, but unfortunately he had to get to that photo shoot. Nathalie was probably screaming by now. He was sure that if his cell phone was turned on, it would be ringing every five seconds.

He untangled himself from her and leaped out the trapdoor. He gazed down at her a final time.

"I must be off, Princess. This knight has a prior engagement. By the way," he smirked as he spied his mark, revealed by how her shirt collar slipped to the side, "nice love bite, there."

She gasped in mortification as her hand flew to cover it. "Chat!"

He laughed in delight as he scurried away.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you once again for all the reviews, readers :) I hope you liked this chapter! ;)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

He had been late to the photo shoot, receiving a harsh reprimand from Nathalie and later his father, but luckily didn't get punished. All he got was a stern warning not to be late to any appointment again.

When nighttime rolled around, Adrien didn't waste any time to suit up and head over to Akuma. He strolled past the bouncer, grinning smugly to himself as all the other criminals stared at him in awe.

He joined Jackady at the bar where he and Mime were engaged in a conversation. Although, Chat was pretty definite that Mime wasn't contributing much in terms of words.

"Hey, Chat!" Jackady called, holding up his shot glass. "Glad to see you're feeling better."

The feline signaled to the bartender for his drink before lifting himself to a bar stool. He turned to his companions and smiled.

"Thanks. So, how's it been for you two?"

Mime shrugged while Jackady answered. "You know, same old minor robberies. But you, you got stabbed! How bad was it? Did you have to stitch yourself? Because damn, that hurts like a bitch."

Chat automatically winced in memory as his side momentarily throbbed. "It was pretty bad. Remember that girl I told you about?" He smirked. "She patched me up."

Jackady's eyes widened before they crinkled as he slyly smirked. Mime was wearing a very similar expression.

"She stitched you up? Ooh, you two must be pretty close, then?"

Chat grinned widely. "I'd say so. I don't think she'd kiss just about anybody, either..." He trailed off purposely to leave his friends in suspense, turning away from them to take a sip of his newly-arrived martini.

"You kissed?!" Jackady exclaimed in shock. "Damn, Noir, I didn't think you could be that smooth."

Chat looked at the two criminals out of the corner of his eye, glass poised to his lips, and flashed a smug grin in return.

"So, I take it, this means she accepts you as a thief, right?" The card-wielding lawbreaker asked, unsurely.

The cat swallowed the contents of his glass before swiveling around to his companions again.

"No, not really," he admitted, frowning. "I mean, kind of? She doesn't know who I am under the mask."

"Oh," Jackady breathed in understanding while Mime shook his head. "That's not an ideal situation to be in."

Chat scoffed a laugh. "No, it's not. Especially when she likes my civilian identity."

Mime's and Jackady's faces were absolutely priceless with their looks of confusion.

"I'm sorry, but how in the hell is that a bad thing? And if that's true, then why not reveal yourself to her?!" Jackady spluttered, still trying to make sense of what his friend just said.

"It's bad because she probably won't accept me for being a criminal. She kissed Chat, but I don't think she'd choose him over A-er-my real identity," he informed, quickly fixing his mistake when he was about to utter his true name.

The three sat there for a period of silence, all wondering what to do about this new dilemma. Until, Mime started gesturing wildly with his hands.

The feline rogue arched a brow beneath his mask. "What is it, Mime?"

The silent man pointed at him, then made a woman's silhouette with his hands. He then brought his two hands together to form a heart, smiling eagerly.

"You want me to romance her as Chat Noir?" The blond guessed.

Mime nodded furiously, and put a hand atop his head, as though covering up cat ears. He then crossed his arms and looked away from Chat and Jackady, as if ignoring them.

"And to ignore her as my civilian self?" He concluded.

Mime grinned and clapped his hands, congratulating him on his assumption.

Chat put a finger to his chin in thought. "It could work," he murmured. "I already know she likes me, so I'll just make her like the criminal-me! Mime, you're a genius."

The painted man smirked proudly and rubbed his knuckles against his chest.

"Well, now that this mushy shit is over, let's talk about what really matters. Money and how to get it," Jackady suggested, his lips curled up into a wicked sneer.

Chat Noir and Mime leaned in with interest.

...

The next day, Adrien followed Mime's advice, only giving Marinette courtesy greetings and waves. He didn't flirt at all, even though he was itching to do so. But he couldn't risk ruining the plan; she had to fall for both sides of him.

It didn't help that at lunch Nino kept pestering him about her, asking if he thought she was cute and/or liked her. He answered both in the affirmative, but made sure to explain that he only meant it platonically.

He had to hide a chuckle when it looked like Nino was about to burst in fury.

After school, he asked his driver to stop at a flower shop. The 'Gorilla', as he secretly dubbed him, gave him a questioning look, but didn't refuse the polite order. Adrien received even more confused looks when he came out with only a single, red rose, yet the blond did nothing to dispel his confusion, only sending a fond smile to the flower.

The flower was put to use later that night, when he pulled the leather suit over himself and made his way to a certain princess's balcony. He knocked a few times on the glass trapdoor and waited.

"Come in!" He heard her call.

Chat Noir grinned and let himself in, dropping down to the bed on all-fours and making his way down the staircase. Before she could turn around, he placed the rose in between his teeth and flashed a dashing grin.

When the girl turned to him with those wide, forget-me-not eyes, he dropped down to one knee and presented the rose with a flourish.

"For you, my princess."

Would she like it? Would she think the gesture was too cheesy? Would she slap him?

With a blush coloring her cheeks, Marinette gently took it out of his fingers and smiled.

Just as he was about to breathe a mental sigh of relief, she groaned and placed the flower on her desk. She covered her face with both of her hands and let out another groan as she collapsed into the chair.

Crap. It was too much, wasn't it? But at first she liked it. Maybe something else was wrong? Damn, did she still think she was a slut?

"Everything alright, Princess?" He asked, rising from his position to rest a comforting hand on her shoulder. He began to rub in small, slow circles.

Marinette sighed and finally revealed her face. He smiled as he noticed there weren't any tears.

"Why do you have to be so...?" She asked, trailing off in indecisiveness.

He smirked upon seeing the perfect opportunity arise. "Sexy? Charming? Irresistible?"

She giggled and answered, "annoying."

He gasped with mock hurt. "You think I'm annoying? Why do you think so lowly of me?"

He held back a chuckle when she placed a finger on her chin, tapping it as she pretended to think deeply for an answer. She glanced up at him with playful intent in her eyes.

"Well, your puns are one thing."

He gasped. "My puns are clawsome! How do mew not think so? You need to get a sense of hufur."

Marinette grinned. "That last one was pushing it, and you know it."

Ugh, he did know it. He could barely stop the wince threatening to break out on his face when he said it. Tonight didn't seem to be his best night for puns.

However, he shrugged indifferently. He couldn't admit that she won, then she'd use that to her advantage!

"I shall nefur admit depaws." He brightened as soon as the words left his mouth, liking the genius words he used. "Get it? Depaws, but since cats don't have feet, and the real word is defeat-"

"I get it," she interrupted, shaking her head and smiling.

"You like my puns," he boasted, grinning completely self-satisfied. "Admit it."

"I will admit no such thing."

Hm. Just how to make her admit it...

"Okay," he spoke, grabbing her hand and hauling her up. She squeaked in surprise but fell silent at the close proximity between them.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her even closer. "You like _me_ , at least admit that," he prodded with a smirk.

A blush developed over her cheeks. "I-I-"

"I know you do," he murmured, bringing his face closer to hers. "You enjoyed every second of our kiss."

"I still like that other guy in my class."

"You like _me_ ," he purred, dipping his head to her neck to plant a kiss there. He was aware he just gave her a major hint that Adrien and Chat were one in the same, but she didn't pick up on it. He didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing.

He was aware of her hitched breath and resisted the urge to grin.

"I-well-"

"Marinette?!"

Chat's heartrate skyrocketed at the interruption, whipping his face around to see a very surprised and angry Alya Cesaire standing just in front of the closed trapdoor. To be honest, he was more annoyed at getting interrupted than panicked at being caught.

Marinette paled. "A-Alya, it's not-"

"Not what it looks like?!" She screeched. "I come back to get my science book and you're rendezvousing with Paris's top criminal?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Alya-"

"Now wait a minute," Chat cut in, not at all liking how Alya was speaking to the flustered blackette. He seperated himself from the girl and took a step closer to Alya, eyes narrowed in anger. He wouldn't hurt her, but she deserved a stern reprimanding.

"No," Marinette spoke, putting a hand on his shoulder to make him halt in his tracks. "Chat, I think you should go."

He whipped around to face her, stunned. "But-"

She furrowed her eyebrows. "I mean it. I can handle this on my own."

"Yeah, don't you have a store to steal from?" Alya sassed, crossing her arms together.

He fixed her with one of his best glares. He wanted to stay with Marinette and defend her from any accusations from Alya, but in the end he knew he had to listen to his princess's command.

So, with an extremely displeased hiss, he stomped up the staircase and back out into the night.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'm not even going to bother apologizing for the long wait :/**

 **...**

 **But I still am sorry :(**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

Chat Noir loved Alya, he really did. She was a great friend, not to mention his best friend's girlfriend _and_ the love of his life's best friend. Also, there was how she had the 'I-don't-take-shit-from-anyone' attitude and how she easily brushed off ignorant assholes that made him like her.

But at the current moment, there was nothing more he wanted than to go back and wring her neck for interrupting him and Marinette. He's been waiting for three years to have moments like that and she goes in and ruins it!

He growled as he jumped to another rooftop, toward one of the less busy spots of Paris but not to his mansion. The night was still young, he didn't want to go home just yet.

But it seemed some places of business just didn't agree with him, as a lot of them began locking their doors for the night. If he wanted, he could simply perch outside one of them and wait for the remaining employees to leave before he would go in and steal everything he could.

However, he just wasn't feeling up to it tonight. Alya's unexpected entrance still made him grind his teeth in annoyance, he knew his mood would distract him from completing a good, clean steal from a place.

Stopping to have a rest, he sat down on top of a random building, dangling his feet over the edge. His suit blended in perfectly with the night, as such there wasn't a good chance anyone would find him. Then there was the fact that no one but tourists would crane their necks up to look at the tops of the buildings. All in all, he was in the clear for the most part.

He breathed in deeply and exhaled in an attempt to calm down, which thankfully worked. In retrospect, he shouldn't be that upset over it. He knew there would be plenty of time to kiss her later. Well, unless Alya convinces her to dump him.

Hm. Actually, were they even dating? They never made things official, but they definitely had _something_ going on. He just hoped that Alya wouldn't ruin it, because he knew the girl had excellent persuasive skills.

His heartbeat started to quicken, something that made his eyebrows furrow in puzzlement. A strange feeling also gathered in his stomach, making it feel like it was constricting or something. He had a vague idea of what this was, but it was something he hadn't known for a long time.

Was he...was he actually _afraid_?

He couldn't remember the last time he'd ever been afraid of anything. Gradually rising to become the best criminal in the city trained his nerves to become steel. Eventually, nothing could scare him.

The barrel of a gun in his face? Swat it away and pounce on the man who dared point it at him.

Knife against his throat? Kick the fucker in the groin, or depending where he was standing, drive his elbow in the attacker's gut. No matter the case, an arm would be broken one way or another.

All of that and yet he feels afraid just because he might get rejected by a girl.

He scoffed with a wry smile and shook his head. Maybe he really was becoming soft.

He scanned the streets below once more, at the lingering Parisians walking just minding their own business, without even knowing that eyes belonging to one of the most dangerous men were watching them as they went.

Chat stopped when he saw a very familiar red baseball cap sitting atop an even-more familiar boy's head.

Ah, that's right. Now would be around the time when Nino would get out of work. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth at the sight of his best friend.

He knew that Nino walked home this late by himself all the time. He had faith his friend could protect himself efficiently, yet he found himself running across rooftops after him anyway. Oh well, better to be safe than sorry, right?

As Nino continued to his home, he was completely oblivious to the watchful green eyes taking note of his every step and near surroundings. Chat was glad, because he really didn't want any possible conflict with his best friend under his villain guise. He may have thought that he was 'badass', but Chat knew how well the DJ could hide his fear.

He knew everyone was afraid of him. Well, except Marinette. Then again, she probably did at least have a hint of wariness for him somewhere deep down. It was a human instinct, to be cautious of possible danger.

The blond smiled when he realized that Nino was almost home. Maybe then he could go back to his own and get a full night's sleep for once. Yes, an entire night's sleep without any interruptions sounded wonderful.

So lost in his thoughts, he wasn't aware of his friend being pulled into the dark corridor in between a pair housing apartments. But the terrified yelp that sounded was enough to alert the feline.

His eyes darted wildly over the street, with no Nino in sight. A low, guttural growl tore out of his throat as he used his baton to reach the street, prowling over to the suspicious-looking little alleyway.

For most of his life he didn't have friends except for Chloe. And now that he finally had them, he wasn't going to lose them so easily. Especially not when it was his best friend, the first friend he made at school, even before Marinette.

"L-Look man, I don't want any trouble. I swear I don't have much money," Nino stammered, holding his hands up in a sign of surrender while the idiot who dared attack _his_ best friend held a knife against the aspiring DJ's throat.

"I'll be the judge of that," the amateur robber grunted. He had begun to stick his hand in the trembling boy's bag he normally used for school, when Chat chose that moment to intervene.

"Actually, I think I will be the judge of that."

The idiot and his best friend turned, allowing the true criminal to see the man's face. His eyes squinted, trying to figure out whose pair stared back at him in shock out of the ski mask.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Nino's mouth drop open. He held back an amused chuckle and instead forced himself to keep a steely gaze locked on the unknown robber. He gripped his baton tightly, pressing a button to extend it in what was meant to be a silent threat.

"Ch-Chat Noir!" the man gasped. "I-what are you doing here?"

The blond shrugged, feigning carelessness to hide his anger. "This city is mine, I go wherever I please. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Just robbing this kid," the man replied, briefly returning his attention back to the paling Nino. He was mildly scared before, he knew he might get hurt but knew if he cooperated he would get to live. But now that Chat Noir was here? He had no idea what would become of him. He grimaced as the knife pressed tighter against his throat, the extra force added causing a sliver of blood to trickle down from the new wound.

Chat clenched his teeth as his eyes zeroed in on the new injury. He was considering just scaring this asshole off, but now he craved retribution for the fool's grave mistake.

"Yes, well, that won't be happening tonight," he retorted bluntly, no longer willing to put up the careless act. He leveled his baton with the robber's waist and pressed the button to extend it further, making it land in his stomach and successfully get him away from Nino.

Chat was hardly aware of Nino's gaping expression as he ran over and pounced on the fallen criminal, ripped off the mask, and effectively landed punch after punch on his face. His teeth were bared in a snarl, his eyes sparking in fury.

"Chat Noir," the man coughed out when the blond paused to catch his breath. His nose was past broken, his bottom lip was was torn and his cheeks were beginning to house black and blue bruises. His eyes were almost swollen shut. "Why are you hitting me? I'm just like you!"

He paled once he saw the look of absolute _rage_ on the blond assailant's face, knowing instantly that he had just spoken the wrong words.

"You are _nothing_ like me," he hissed, standing and lifting him up by the collar of his shirt. "I'm the _best_ in all of Paris. You're no better than the dirt on my boots. I worked hard to get to my position, which didn't include mugging poor _teenagers_. Seriously, how much money did you think he had? 10 Euros? Maybe 20? It's the stupid ones like you who give the _real_ criminals like me a bad name."

He hissed and slammed the man against the wall, who was now blinking fast to hold back the frightened tears threatening to escape.

"No matter what you do," he spoke, poison lacing his words, "I will be better than you, faster than you, and smarter than you. Do not _ever_ try to compare yourself to me again. Do I make myself clear?"

The man gulped and nodded hurriedly, sweat raining down his forehead and cheeks. Chat's lips curled up in disgust as he dropped him, wiping his hand against his leather-covered stomach as the idiot ran off without another word.

He panted as he reined in the desire to run after the fool and land a few more punches. But he still had an audience with him that he couldn't leave without addressing. And so, he slowly turned to Nino, who had remained frozen during the entire time.

His hazel eyes penetrated through Chat's green ones. It was obvious he was terrified, he probably thought the cat would do something worse to him than what the other guy did.

So, the blond grinned and raised his index and middle fingers to his forehead.

"See you later," he quipped, finishing off the salute before using his baton to get to the roof above and run in the opposite direction toward his mansion. Nino was almost home, he'd be fine walking back alone for a couple minutes.

Along the way, he happened to come upon a jewelry story. There was no one around it, and the place was filled with darkness. It would be a great opportunity to steal every jewel he could. But he wanted to go home...

He snorted and leaped closer to the shop. He could never resist temptation, and that jewelry was enough temptation to delay him from sleep for just a few minutes longer.

But when he was finally able to sneak inside, he was devastated by how the shop was completely clean. Not a necklace or ring was in sight, the glass cases were absolutely empty.

Nothing was smashed, the alarms weren't triggered, and everything was exactly in place, except for the jewelry.

He frowned. Whoever had gotten there first, was obviously quite skilled in making a clean getaway.

Curious for some type of clue for the culprit's identity, he wandered around the now worthless shop. When he came upon the counter, he eagerly snatched up the note that was left on top of the cash register.

His eyes narrowed as he read the orange writing, only widening when he saw the signature.

"Volpina?"

* * *

 **A/N: Next chapter will be longer, promise! And I won't take as long to update, now that we're getting closer to the ending :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Great news, fam! I got a snow day today, which let me work on this update all day ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

He didn't know what to make of this. It could be a scam, someone could be impersonating her, but he had seen plenty of pictures on the internet of Volpina's signature. True, there were probably plenty of people who could forge signatures (like himself) but he doubted that just anyone could copy the drawing of the fox face exactly as she did.

But if it wasn't a fake, then why was she here? He knew she mainly operated in Rome, so why would she suddenly pop up in Paris? It didn't make any sort of sense.

"Plagg," Adrien whispered in the darkness of his bedroom. "Got any ideas?"

A tired, grumbling meow from the foot of his bed was the only answer he received. It was obvious the cat was peeved from being disturbed, yet his master seemed perfectly clueless on the matter.

"What is she even here for? There's no new special, priceless gem for her to possibly be drawn to. I could understand if she was from a few cities away, and maybe she wanted a taste of Paris. But Plagg, she's from _Italy_! Why would she just randomly turn up like this?"

Plagg silently rose from his comfortable spot on the bed, his tail twitching being the only hint to his irritation. When he met with Adrien face-to-face, his back arched with his fur standing on end, his tail stood straight in the air, and his ears were folded back.

Then, he unleashed a hiss that made Adrien momentarily pause in surprise, and maybe just the smallest bit in fright.

After getting the reaction he wanted, the cat sniffed once before turning on his paws and going back to his sleeping spot. He fitted himself in the little blanket gully he already had and didn't waste time on trying to return to his rest.

Green eyes blinked, before their owner let out a weary yawn. Maybe Plagg had the right idea, maybe he should just go to sleep and think about this problem in the morning.

…

Morning came, and still no spectacular epiphany about the Volpina situation. He didn't figure it out during breakfast, when Nathalie reminded him of his fencing lesson for later that day, and couldn't come to a conclusion as he rode in the limo and eventually walked up the stairs to the school and to his classroom.

He released a sigh outside his classroom door. This was starting to give him a much unneeded headache, and right now he could do with just having a regular school day with his friends. Not to mention he had Marinette's heavenly blue eyes to look forward to seeing. Her presence was enough to brighten his day even when he was feeling at his worst.

Adrien opened the door, his eyes noting all of his classmates talking and/or goofing off with each other. He briefly narrowed his eyes at Kim, who was certainly looking better, then shifted his gaze to his three friends.

Alya and Nino looked to be engaging in some sort of exciting topic, while Marinette simply stared at her desk with her mouth parted. He didn't think much of it, she was prone to randomly daydream throughout the day.

Not that he minded, of course. He thought it was an adorable habit. Come to think of it, was there really anything he _disliked_ about her?

Well, she could be stubborn sometimes. And sometimes she could snap and let her temper get the best of her, and make a few rash decisions…

But he loved her all the same for it.

"Hey, guys!" he greeted, cheery and loudly in order to make his presence known. "What's going on?"

"Dude, you'll never believe it!" Nino grinned excitedly. "Chat Noir saved me last night!"

"Really?" Adrien gasped, feigning shock. After all this time of lying, it came out as naturally as breathing. "You're kidding."

"Nope!" Nino replied, shaking his head. "I was almost robbed but Chat Noir came in and beat the shit out of him! It was awesome! I thought he was a criminal but maybe he's becoming a good guy."

Him? A good guy? That was hilarious! As if he would ever actually be the 'hero'. He was only interested in saving his friends and limited family, no one else.

However, he couldn't hold back the chuckle that escaped from his mouth. He couldn't help it, the thought of it was too funny! He knew Marinette wanted him to be a hero, but still. It was never going to happen.

"Don't mean to burst your bubble, Nino, but I highly doubt he's going to change his ways."

"But he saved me!" he protested, eyebrows drawing down as he tried to make his point. "He could've let the guy take my money or took it for himself. But he helped me! Why would he do that if he wasn't a good guy?"

He shrugged, mentally trying to find a suitable excuse he could use.

"Maybe he felt generous last night."

"Or he's becoming a good guy," Nino retorted, stubbornly crossing his arms in front of his chest as he did so. "You're not him, so you wouldn't know."

Oh, sweet, sweet irony.

"You're right, Nino," he sighed, perhaps a bit over-dramatically but it did match the tone of defeat. He shook his head and grinned quietly to himself in amusement. "I wouldn't know at all."

Mme. Bustier came in just a second later, with a wide grin and a curious sparkle in her eyes. Adrien and Nino moved to their bench, joining the rest of the students in looking at each other in confusion of what their teacher could be so excited about.

"Class, we have a special addition to our school," she announced in a mixture pride and eagerness.

Adrien's curiosity was immediately piqued for whoever this mysterious student was. New students normally received a nice, ordinary welcoming and that was that. The teacher definitely wasn't this excited over it, so he knew whoever this person was had to be special in some way.

Besides, she had spoken those same exact words when _he_ first came to the school. If that wasn't enough of an indication to this student's high status then he didn't know what was.

"Please welcome, Lila Cagna!"

His face remained carefully blank as the famous Italian actress strutted into the room. With a simper she gently brushed some of her brown locks away from her shoulders as her olive eyes began to go around the room, surveying the students.

They happened to lock eyes for a few seconds. Her lips briefly twitched before she looked away and stared straight in front of her. Her hand lifted into a friendly wave.

"Hi, everyone! I'm _so_ happy to be a part of your school!" she greeted, clapping her hands together to better portray a perfect, innocent angel.

However, he didn't buy the act. Something was off about her, but he couldn't put his finger on as to what it was. He did think it was suspicious that an Italian actress suddenly happened to join their school, but he had a feeling that there was something bigger going on.

His instincts warned him not to trust this girl.

"We're glad to have you," Mme. Bustier continued, oblivious to his mistrust of the new girl. "We actually have another famous person attending, do you happen to know Adrien Agreste?"

Adrien shook his head before Lila could answer.

"No, we don't know each other."

"But I've heard about you," Lila cut in, returning her attention back to him. "Your dad makes _amazing_ clothes!"

He raised an eyebrow, silently trying to gauge her personality. He couldn't tell if she was just being nice or trying to curry favor with him. Still, he thanked her, nonetheless. He didn't want to look like a rude asshole in front of Marinette.

"Since we don't have anything closer to the front, you're going to have to sit in the back, Lila. I hope this is okay?" Mme. Bustier asked a bit worriedly.

She nodded, seemingly not minding at all.

"It's perfectly okay!"

With a smile she walked to the back of the room to her new seat. Adrien grinned in amusement as he noticed most of his male classmates' eyes trailing after her. Although, who was he to judge? He often found his gaze lingering after Marinette many times. He wasn't any different.

…

"Hey, check this out!"

Adrien barely paid attention when Alya had discovered something new on her phone. He tried to pay attention, but he found his thoughts straying to Volpina and trying to figure out why she may be in Paris. But so far, he couldn't come up with anything.

"…robbed a jewelry store last night and she goes by the name 'Volpina'."

"Volpina?" he repeated interestedly after swallowing his tarte tatin that he had probably been chewing for far too long. He removed his gaze from outside the bakery window and back to his friends.

"Yeah, she's kind of like Chat Noir, in a way. She leaves notes at her crimes and leaves a fox drawing on them." Alya turned her phone to show them a picture of one of her famous notes. "She's from Italy originally, so Paris police are wondering why she's suddenly here."

"That's what I'd like to know, too," he muttered bitterly before looking back out the window again. He considered himself to be smarter and cleverer than the police, so for him _not_ to know something that they also didn't know hurt his pride.

"Adrien? You okay?" A soft voice inquired, distracting him from his thoughts. He didn't even realize that he was oblivious to what was going on until she had called him.

He turned to give her a warm, reassuring smile.

"I'm fine, just thinking about my schedule," he lied smoothly.

She didn't look completely satisfied with the answer, yet didn't push for any more details.

"Oh, okay," she complied before she looked down at her pastry. He wished he could've been honest with her, but to do that she would have to know he was Chat Noir, and he wasn't ready for that yet. So for now he was resigned to maintaining the perfect, almost carefree attitude that the most handsome model in Paris was supposed to have.

…

That night, as he was on his way to visit Marinette, he caught her outside on her balcony. She was holding a spray bottle and watering her plants. He grinned in anticipation as she moved on to the roses.

He managed to sneak around behind her before she could see him. Then, leaning down close to her ear, he murmured:

"Evening, Princess."

She stiffened in surprise prior to facing him. He almost laughed at her sour expression.

"Good evening, Chat Noir," she responded curtly, though the corners of her lips were twitching into a smile, revealing that she wasn't truly mad at him.

"So, how'd it go with your friend last night?" he asked, his smile forming into a frown. Alya and Marinette still spoke with each other like everything was normal, so at least their friendship was still intact. However, that didn't mean he was out of the woods.

"It went pretty well, actually." She grinned. "She kinda likes you."

Well, he wasn't expecting that, given her reaction to seeing him. But he wasn't going to complain.

"You and only you own my heart, fair Princess," he quipped with a well-timed finger gun and a cheeky wink.

She giggled, ducking her head most likely in an effort to hide the blush blooming across her cheeks. He instinctively smiled at such an adorable reaction.

"I didn't mean it like that, but good to know. I told her how you saved me, she really appreciates it."

"It was my pleasure," he replied and bowed. He smirked and locked eyes with her as he rose back up. "This cat is _fur_ ever your protector, Princess."

"Speaking of protecting," she trailed off mysteriously (and suggestively?). She placed the spray bottle down on her spool table before walking closer to him and smiling up at him.

"I heard you saved one of my friends last night. Thank you for that."

He blinked in surprise as she placed a feather-light kiss against his lips. However, he was able to regain his bearings when he noticed her fall back and blush shyly.

He couldn't resist.

"A kiss for every act of heroism? That might be enough to _purr_ suade me to do it more often."

Honestly, the sad part was that he probably _would_ do it if she offered. Damn, he was so pathetic.

"Then that means you'll have to have a punishment if you do something bad," she concluded.

His eyes lidded as he smirked at the suggestive remark. Well, he thought it was, anyway.

"And what happens if I'm a bad kitty?" he purred.

She caught on to his game, using her index finger to trail it seductively down his chest. His breath hitched, at the same time she peered up at him through her lashes with a coquettish smirk upon her full, kissable lips.

He found himself bending down to capture that smirk with his own mouth, utterly entranced by her alluring spell. In the back of his mind he idly wondered if she was a witch, after all, with how she could so easily bend him to her will.

Until suddenly a splash of water hit him in the face. He immediately sprang away from her as he closed his eyes and started to furiously wipe at them to get the water out.

"What the hell?!" he spluttered, still confused and surprised by the change of atmosphere. He thought he was going to get a kiss, but as usual Marinette had other ideas.

Speaking of, she was currently in hysterics as she clutched the bottle tightly to her chest.

"That-that's what happens if you do something bad!" she breathed, still laughing.

His eyes narrowed as his sight returned to him.

"You little tease," he accused bitterly.

When her giggles didn't show any sign of subsiding, he decided he had to use a punishment of his own. He jumped into action, picking her up and diving to her lounge chair so that he was on the bottom for the impact. But he didn't hesitate to flip them over so he straddled her, and very soon his fingers were busy at work against Marinette's sides.

Marinette quickly gasped before dissolving into full-blown laughter. Her body writhed underneath him, desperate to get away but he grinned as he managed to keep her in place.

"Chat-Chat stop!" she cried out in between peals of laughter.

Once more she tried escaping him, but he wasn't having it. He smirked, thankful of his criminal life that gave him enough strength to keep her pinned beneath him as he continued his tickle assault.

"Chat, please!" she panted, tears forming in her eyes.

"Please, what?" he asked with a smug grin.

"Please, stop!" More laughter escaped past her mouth before she chose to bite down on her lower lip to keep them at bay.

"You want me to stop?" he questioned mischievously, still unrelenting in his attack.

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

"Will you ever tease me like that again?"

"No!"

" _Purr_ omise?"

"I-I-I promise!"

Satisfied, he pressed a kiss to her cheek and stopped his tickling, most probably to Marinette's relief. He flipped them over so that he was underneath her this time, with her lying over him. Her head lolled to the side, close to his neck, and he didn't waste the opportunity to bury his nose in her hair and bask in the scent.

Strawberries and crème, along with a wonderful mixture of bakery scents. Like vanilla, for example. Normally so many smells at once would irritate him, but it worked beautifully for Marinette.

He wished they could lie like this forever. With her comfortably lounging on top of him with himself able to lay in perfect contentment, just appreciating the enticing scent of her hair.

So lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed when she had asked him a question.

"May I?"

"Hm?" he hummed, coming out of the daydream. He saw that her hand was holding his own, with her fingers on his ring.

Her meaning immediately struck him. She wanted to try on his ring.

"Oh. Yeah, you can try it on," he approved before chuckling and sighing in bliss as his nose went back in her hair.

He opened his eyes to find her admiring his ring on her right ring finger. Apparently, it was so loose on her slim fingers that she had to clench a fist in order for it to stay on. He smiled before closing his eyes again.

A few moments later he felt his glove being slowly peeled off. He didn't know why she was doing it, but he didn't reject her task either. So he remained silent as she paused, to allow him the chance to stop her attempt. When he continued not to say anything she resumed with her work until the glove was lying on her stomach.

Her fingertips just barely brushed against his own, the warm skin a nice change from whenever he touched her with the leather covering his hands. He liked the feeling and wanted more, and so he began to entwine her fingers with his own.

She didn't object, and so they remained just basking in the quiet, starry night. That is, until she spoke.

"I heard there's another criminal around here. Volpina, I think her name is."

He hummed in agreement, finally removing his nose from her hair to look down at her.

"Yeah, it is."

"Have you met her?" she asked.

"No. I've heard of her, she was pretty good back in Italy. I'm still trying to figure out why she's here, though."

"Is there some new, priceless object here or something?" she guessed.

"Nope," he replied. "It's a mystery why she's here." His tone hardened. "And I don't like mysteries."

She giggled, although he had no answer as to why. They soon vanished, however as she shrugged.

"Maybe she just wants to claim Paris for her own. Maybe she got tired of Italy."

Could it be that was really the reason she was here? To take away what was his? Well, he'd be damned if he let that happen.

"Paris is mine," he hissed, offended and angry at such an idea. "It took three years to gain the top spot and I'm not letting it slip out of my claws."

"You could always catch her," she suggested, paying no heed to his temper as she raised their joined hands in the air. "Imagine all the kisses you'd get if you caught a criminal like _her_." He could practically hear the teasing smirk in her voice.

"Hm," he murmured, leaning down to kiss her temple. "Tempting."

They sat in comfortable silence once more. He felt her snuggle deeper into his body, and the broad smile that took over his face could only be described as goofy.

"So what do you do when you're not committing crime?" she asked, breaking the silence yet again.

He bit his lower lip. He knew the question would come up sooner or later, but there wasn't much he could tell her without divulging his identity.

"A little of this and a little of that," he replied vaguely.

"What does that mean?"

He snickered at her unrelenting questioning.

"Looks like cats aren't the only curious creatures," he mused.

"Come on, tell me!" she persisted. He knew if he could see her that she'd be pouting.

"Say ' _purr_ etty _purr_ lease' and I might just let a detail slip," he teased with a chuckle.

Chat heard her sigh of defeat.

"Pretty please?"

"Nope. You have to say it like I did."

He held back his laughter when he heard her huff in annoyance.

"Fine. _Purr_ etty _purr_ lease?"

" _Purr_ fect!" he cheered with a wicked grin. "Hm, now what secret could possibly satisfy an inquisitive princess like you?" He tapped his chin in thought. "Decisions, decisions…"

"Chat," she whined impatiently.

"Alright," he relented with a laugh. There could be no harm in telling her this secret, it would be no possible hint to his identity. "Well, I go to this club sometimes."

"A club?" she repeated in interest. "But wouldn't people scream and call the police if they say you?"

"This isn't an ordinary club. Only Paris's elite criminals are allowed in."

"Soo, it's like a secret underground club?"

"Correct," he confirmed.

"Can I come?"

He balked at her request. Was she insane?!

"Hell no! That isn't a place you should be in."

He would never take her there, not to the place where all the men leered shamelessly at the women, not to where a fight could break out at any moment. It was fine enough club, it wasn't decorated like some cheap, sleazy bar, but an innocent girl like herself still shouldn't be anywhere near there.

"But I want to see!" she protested vehemently, not at all pleased with his answer.

"I said no, Princess," he replied firmly. "Didn't you hear what I said about 'Paris's elite criminals'? There's no way I'd let you in a place like that."

"What if you accompanied me?" she tried, switching tactics. "If I'm with you they won't touch me."

Damn, she was probably right, he realized with an agonized groan. If he took a girl there, it was highly likely that the other criminals would know not to touch her, lest they incite his wrath. They would probably not even look at her.

But he still didn't want to take her there. It was still dangerous.

"Please, chaton?" she begged sweetly. She turned around, letting him see her puffed-out bottom lip and her doe-like sapphire eyes looking up at him through her thick, black lashes.

He grimaced. Already he could feel his resolve crumbling.

"You said you're my protector forever, I know I'd be safe with you. And if there's any danger we can leave, no questions asked."

He closed his eyes and let out another groan. Damn this girl.

"Please, minou," she implored, taking their entwined hands and kissing his knuckles. Her soft lips connecting with his skin ripped away any lingering refusal.

"I hate you," he ground out through clenched teeth.

Maybe he could bring her there, and nothing bad would happen. No one would dare to mess with a girl that he brought with him. And he knew that Jackady and Mime would be on his side should something happen.

"Fine!" he hissed, looking at her with eyes that screamed his frustration.

"Yay!" she squealed, practically pouncing closer to him to wrap her arms around his neck in a hug. "Thank you!"

This girl was going to be the death of him.

"Saturday, ten at night. Wear a disguise so no one will target you." He closed his eyes, covering his face with his gloved hand. "I can't believe I'm actually doing this," he lamented in a defeated moan.

"We'll be fine," she assured, brushing off his concern. "What's the worst that could happen?"

He groaned again for the millionth time while leaning his head back against the chair.

* * *

 **A/N: Still not changing Lila's name just because the real one was revealed xD**


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry I took so long to update one of my stories. I've been suffering from bad writers block so I took some time off of writing. I have to admit, it was relaxing and took some stress off my mind :) I hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

Adrien was made aware that night that like all good things, his time with Marinette had to come to an end.

He had pulled out his baton to check the time during the impromptu (but wonderful) cuddle session, and with a disappointed frown noted that it was almost one in the morning.

With a sigh, he replaced the baton to his backside before leaning down and planting a kiss on Marinette's temple.

"Wake up, Princess. I have to leave and you need to go to bed."

The amusing irony of him calling for her to wake up just to tell her to go to bed wasn't lost on him, as he mentally observed with a twitch of his lips.

Marinette let out an arguably adorable moan as she snuggled into his shoulder, all the while keeping her eyes closed.

"Not now," she mumbled, her lips barely moving to speak the words. "Stay."

"I wish I could," he lamented truthfully whilst running his gloveless and ring-less hand over her raven locks.

He honestly would stay, if he could. But there was the risk of him being spotted in the morning rush as he raced back to his mansion, and the risks of Marinette's parents finding them in their compromising position, or most scary of all, his father discovering that his son wasn't in bed in the morning.

Well, technically Nathalie would be the one to discover it, being that his father probably hasn't stepped foot in his room for years. No, he would find out only because Nathalie would tell him.

Either way, he didn't want to get caught. Not only would he have to kiss public school good-bye, he would also be confined to his room that would have more security than Fort Knox. Not even _he_ could make an escape in that kind of situation.

Yes, staying and cuddling with Marinette might satisfy his selfish desire now, but the possible consequences for it were far too great.

"Come on," he sighed, forcing himself to lean up so she would have to as well. "I promise, as soon as I leave, you can go straight to bed and continue dreaming."

Marinette, guided by his body, sat upward in the lounge chair. She moaned something unintelligible before rubbing her eyes with her hands. He watched when the cool metal of his ring touched her cheek, causing her to snap her eyes open.

With a smile, he bent to the ground to where his discarded glove lay. Immediately finding it, he didn't waste another second to slip it on. He flexed his fingers afterward, satisfied with how the leather stayed tight and taut.

"Well, my princess, I'm afraid I must bid you a _dieu_ ," he spoke, standing from the chair. He turned to her with a grin, ready to politely bow, when he noticed the alarmed look in Marinette's eyes.

His eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Princess?"

"Y-Your ring!" she stuttered, holding out the accessory. "I'm sorry I forgot to put it back on your hand before I fell asleep. I don't want you to leave without it."

He blinked, and spent precisely two seconds thinking about it before he came to a conclusion.

"You might as well keep it, Princess," he purred with a sultry grin. "I'm all yours, anyway."

He watched with a smug gleam in his eyes as she drew back, her cheeks quickly becoming scarlet. She gulped once, apparently too flustered to say anything. That was okay, since he didn't mind in the least that _his_ flirtationswere the ones able to affect her like that.

He winked before giving her a two-fingered salute and rushing back into the night, towards his mansion. On the way, the thought came to his mind that he just rightfully got her back for teasing him earlier that night.

He smiled, a mixture of lovesick and proud, as he continued on along the rooftops.

…

Adrien spent the limo ride to school the next morning wondering how Marinette was going to use his ring. Would she actually wear it, or keep it hidden somewhere in her room? He could understand if she didn't wear it, being that Chat Noir's symbol was the ring's most noticeable feature. Yet at the same time he hoped she would.

Could you really blame him, though? What guy didn't want the girl they liked to wear something of theirs?

Adrien ended up being a little early for class, something that was obvious when the entrance was void of a waiting Nino. He was a little disappointed, but he was more than capable of walking into the school alone. With that, he squared his shoulders and strode ahead.

As he walked in his classroom, he was pleasantly surprised to see that Chloe wasn't there yet. Shifting his eyes away from her bench, he also took notice of a certain princess sitting all alone with her eyes glued to her sketchbook, her tongue poking out in concentration as she designed her next masterpiece.

Adrien grinned and sauntered over, trying his best to not act like the cat that was about to corner the mouse.

As soon as he sat and put down his bag, he turned around to speak to her. But when he opened his mouth, the words died on his tongue as he spied a peculiar chain around her neck. And at the bottom of it, something was hidden beneath the collar of her shirt, given the prominent bulge.

In fact, the bulge looked small, but not nearly small enough for it to be a gemstone. No, it seemed to resemble something like…

His lips curved up in prideful satisfaction.

…a _ring_.

"Hey, Marinette!" he greeted, prompting her to pick up her head. She looked like a deer caught in headlights, her blue eyes wide as she regarded him in what seemed to be shock. Her cheeks brightened in an adorable red hue as she stuttered out a response.

"H-Hi, Adrien!"

"Hey," he finished off with a sly grin. He purposefully eyed the chain around her neck, moving his eyes lower to the bulge just barely covered by her shirt. "That's an interesting necklace you have, can I see the main piece?"

Her blush intensified so that most of her normally pale features were now a scarlet tint.

"O-Oh, this necklace? It's nothing, nothing at all! Just-just a chain! That's all it is, just a chain! Nothing special, nothing to see! I sometimes use chains for my designs and I saw it lying around so I thought 'why not wear it' and so I did wear it just because and it doesn't have a centerpiece or anything and-"

Adrien laughed and held up his hands in the general sign of surrender, cutting off her rambling short. Sometimes (okay, all of the time) she was just too cute.

"Alright. I understand, Marinette. There's nothing special about it, I get it."

He flashed her a small grin before he turned back around in his seat.

A minute afterward Nino and Alya walked in.

…

All throughout the class, instead of paying attention, Adrien had more pressing issues on his mind.

First off, with taking Marinette to Akuma on Saturday.

Everything _should_ go okay. No one _should_ bother her. If she will be properly disguised, no one would figure out who she is, thereby making her safe from any potential danger once they were out of the club. Still, he had his doubts whether this was a good idea or not.

While one side dismissed his worries, another raged on of how this was too dangerous and Marinette should never be in a place like that.

But then he had to remember that Marinette wasn't incompetent. She could take care of herself. Besides, if he went back on his word now, she would never trust him again.

And he was aware of how much she hated liars.

Then there was the less problematic issue of his ring. Since it was in her possession now, did that mean they were officially dating? He considered them to be a couple for a while, even though they never said as much to each other. But did this change things?

So lost in his thoughts he barely noticed when the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Mme. Bustier concluded the lesson with a smile and an encouragement for tomorrow. After that, the door leading to the freedom of outside became crowded with over-eager teenagers dying to escape the confines of the classroom.

Unlike them, Adrien stood from his seat in a daze. He began to pack his things, when Marinette's voice made him perk up to attention.

"Yeah, yeah. Go on without me, I'm good."

He frowned. Was she okay?

His movements slowed as he listened in on the conversation.

Alya's voice came next, sounding concerned.

"Are you-?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Marinette affirmed. "I'm fine, promise. Go get that interview with Lila."

"Sure thing, girl!"

He stifled a snicker when he heard Nino's groan, subsequently followed by a pair of rushing footsteps. With Alya and Nino gone, he and Marinette were the only ones left in the classroom, for Bustier had followed after the rush of students.

Maybe he could use this moment to his advantage, get close to her without the use of his alter ego. Plus, he could find out what was bothering her.

He turned around to look back at her, who looked about ready to leave. He spoke before she could get away.

"Marinette?"

She froze, sharply turning her head to see him. Her mouth was in an 'o' shape and her eyes were widened.

He tilted his head, giving off the air of confusion and worry.

"Everything alright?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about it," she replied with a half-smile.

Huh. For a girl who hates lying, it didn't seem she had any problems with doing it twice in one day.

"Funny," he mused, crossing his arms together and sporting a grin laced with ironic amusement. "Alya seemed fine with that answer, but I'm not buying it."

He had to bite back a laugh when she openly gaped at him. To be honest, he couldn't really blame her. Because since when was 'oh so sweet' _Adrien Agreste_ ever cheeky or snarky?

She bit her lower lip and stubbornly looked away. If there was ever a time he wished he could read minds, it was then.

"It's nothing to be concerned about."

"Come on! We're _friends_ , aren't we?" he prodded, his lips twitching into a sly smirk no matter how hard he tried to fight it. After all, _friends_ didn't kiss each other on balconies under midnight's cover. "Talking about it makes you feel better, and I've been told that I'm a good listener."

She visibly sighed and slumped in obvious defeat. His grin grew in response.

"I-I guess…"

"Great!" he exclaimed, happy she trusted him enough to talk to her about something she didn't want to talk about with anyone else, especially Alya who was her best friend. "I don't think there's another class for a while, so we can talk here."

"But what about our other classes?" she inquired, perturbed if the crease between her brows scrunching was any indication.

He shrugged and flashed her a mischievous grin, trying to act the part of nonchalance in the hopes that she might be mildly impressed.

"Oh well."

When her mouth dropped, he bit back a chuckle and elaborated.

"Friends are more important than grades."

With that said, he sat back down in his seat and patted the empty bench space next to him to invite her to sit down. Her legs slightly shook as she went to sit by him, prompting him to frown in worry. Was she scared of him?

Huh, now _that_ would be something. Someone afraid of Adrien as opposed to Chat Noir.

He shook off the worry to present her with what he hoped was an encouraging smile.

"Whenever you're ready to start."

Her head was facing her lap, her teeth gnawing at her lower lip as she refused to speak. He felt tempted to gently call out to her, to assure her that she didn't have to be afraid to talk to him, but in the end chose to stay silent. She was clearly going to tell him what was going on, she just needed to prepare herself first.

"Adrien?" she murmured, not picking up her head.

"Yes?" he replied instantaneously.

"Is it possible to lo- _like_ someone whose name you don't even know?"

Her words felt like an arrow piercing his heart, but in all the right ways. He wasn't stupid, he could easily gather that she was referring to him-well, Chat Noir him- and she was about to say 'love' before she caught herself.

So…did this mean she loved him? It had to be! She loved him! He would never admit this to anyone, but he could've sworn his stomach felt like it was soaring. He wanted to whoop and holler, dance around and most likely make a fool of himself.

But that would have to wait. Because right now Marinette was in the same room with him, and waiting for an answer to her question.

He cleared his throat, tossing the victory party going on inside his mind aside and shooting her an easy smile.

"Of course. Psyche fell in love with Eros and she only knew him by his voice."

That particular myth was one of his favorites, mostly due to the lack of tragedy in the story. However, he thought the comparison could fit in this situation, since Marinette has no idea who's under Chat Noir's mask. Just like how Psyche had no clue who she was sharing a bed with in her darkened bedroom every night.

Her cheeks delved into a furious blush, her fingers twisting themselves together as she tried for a response.

"I-uh-well-"

"What's _wrong_ , Marinette?" he implored, leaning closer, his voice dropping to a low timbre in an effort to soothe her doubts. Did she not want to love him? "You can tell me."

As soon as the words left his mouth, her head wildly shook back and forth in refusal.

"I can't!"

Before he could try to stop her, she jumped out of her seat, grabbed her backpack, and practically flew out the door.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Adrien decided that night to give Marinette some space and time to sort out whatever it was that was bothering her. He didn't want to be a distraction to her. Besides, he felt he hadn't spent a lot of time with Plagg in a while, and the cat was starting to show its irritation with that.

"Good news, buddy," Adrien spoke with a wide grin, laying down beside the feline on his bed. Plagg let out an indignant sniff and turned stubbornly away, his tail flicking Adrien in the nose as he did so.

Despite the attitude, Adrien continued as if he wasn't just entirely brushed off.

"I don't have to go stealing anything tonight, and I'm giving Marinette some time to herself. So tonight you have me all to yourself, isn't that great?"

Plagg merely whipped his head around and gave an angry hiss before turning away again.

Adrien visibly drooped, prior to adopting a pleading expression. He wasn't going to give up on the stubborn, little furball.

"Come on, Plagg, I know I've been busy lately, but I haven't forgotten about you! Look, I have your favorite treat!"

At this, Adrien slyly held up the tiny bit of camembert he was able to smuggle from the fridge when Nathalie and chef weren't looking. While he knew that cats shouldn't eat cheese, for some reason Plagg was drawn to camembert and always pawed at the chef's legs when he would use the cheese for his recipes. As such, Adrien only allowed a small bit for Plagg to have at the rarest of times, and it seemed like tonight was going to be one of those times, given how the cat's head immediately turned in the direction of the camembert.

Plagg zeroed in on his target and dove for Adrien's hand, making him laugh as the cat gobbled up the treat and even took to licking his fingers clean in case a trace of the cheese was left on them.

"So," Adrien began, rubbing his hand along Plagg's back, the cat not taking long to arch into his touch, "how about we watch some classic Pokémon?"

…

The next day he felt that Marinette was avoiding him. Which honestly wasn't surprising, from their last encounter, but it still left him feeling horrible about it. He shouldn't have tried to pressure her about what was wrong, if she wanted to tell him she would've. He just wanted to talk and assure her that everything would be alright, whatever it was that she was worried about.

Apparently Nino and Alya noticed the shift in the air between them, because for once they weren't eating lunch together as a group of four. Instead, Nino coerced him into going to one café while Alya took Marinette to another.

"What's wrong, dude?" Nino asked before taking a sip of his soda. He must've noticed his friend's pensive mood. "You seem pretty out of it."

Adrien shook his head, for once pushing away thoughts of Marinette and their supposed relationship and answered him.

"Nothing, I'm fine. So, anything new in the world of music and moviemaking?"

That seemed to do the trick, for both of them. After Nino had sufficiently fanboy'd over the newest developments of the previously two mentioned subjects that Adrien spoke of, the two soon fell into a lull of casual conversation. Adrien eventually began to forget his girl and criminal troubles, and for once just simply enjoyed spending time with his best friend.

…

They were still chuckling and joking around when they came across Marinette and Alya on the school steps, who also looked to be laughing too. It seemed everyone was in good spirits today. Adrien was glad to see Marinette smiling and laughing so loudly, it was a lot better than seeing the contemplative frown that was etched on her face throughout the morning.

"Did we miss something?" Nino asked, an amused smirk pulling up the corners of his lips. Adrien tilted his head with a grin of his own, content to just sit back and watch.

"Just something amazing!" Alya crowed with more laughter. She took her phone from her pocket before tapping the screen a few times and presenting it to them. "Look!"

Adrien and Nino had to huddle closer to see the picture better. Coincidentally, Adrien ended up standing beside Marinette. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed her biting her lip, eliciting him to briefly frown prior to shifting his eyes back to the phone screen.

Did she hate being in such close proximity to him?

His sudden anxiety was just as quickly forgotten once he processed the picture he was looking at. It was of Kim, sitting in a café with his friends around him, with what looked to be a strawberry milkshake poured all over his head, with pink splotches left on his shoulders and the front of his shirt.

Adrien had to cover his mouth with his fist to keep from laughing aloud. It was immensely satisfying to see some sort of revenge enacted on Kim, and public humiliation was one of the finest forms. Although, personally, he would've gone with a more…violent approach. But dumping a strawberry milkshake on him was fine too.

"Oh my God!" Nino howled, not even trying to muffle his own chortles. "What the hell happened?"

"Let's just say Kim made a big mistake, and it was high time he paid for it," Alya answered with a cryptic grin.

Adrien couldn't agree more, but kept that thought to himself. 'Adrien' had no idea what Kim had done to deserve Alya's wrath.

"Well, looks like you got him good," Nino observed with another snicker. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he bent down to plant a chaste kiss on her cheek.

Adrien's gaze drew towards Marinette, who looked at the couple with fondness. A corner of his mouth arched; hopefully that could be them one day. Meeting in secret at night still felt amazing, not to mention he kept thanking his lucky stars for the opportunity to be with her. However, it still left him yearning during the daytime, when he couldn't hold her hand or kiss her without raising some eyebrows and questions.

He trusted her wholly…maybe it was time to see what she would do with it.

…

After school let out Adrien waved to Nino in farewell before walking to his waiting limo. As per usual, the Gorilla dutifully stood there, ready to take him home in preparation for the photoshoot that would start in about an hour.

The Gorilla noticed him approaching and opened the door for him. Adrien tossed his bag in and was about to follow after, but noticed a blur of red out of the corner of his eye. Curious, he inclined his head back to see Nathanael walking to Marinette's bakery. He paused outside of the main door and visibly took a deep breath, seemingly to steel himself. Shakily, he reached out a hand and opened the door before disappearing inside.

The soft tinkling of the bell barely reached Adrien's ears, who now paused in mid-step.

Nathanael's crush on Marinette was obvious. He sometimes saw him sketching her a few times in the mornings before classes would start, or whenever else they had free time. Adrien didn't really think too much into it; Nathanael had never made a move thus far and Marinette had not once showed any signs of harboring feelings for the aspiring artist. He figured he had nothing to worry about.

His gaze turned pensive as he studied the seemingly-innocent pâtisserie. From the angle he was at, it was impossible to tell what was happening inside.

"I'll be right back," he stated slowly, not giving the Gorilla a glance as he shut the limo door. The bodyguard grunted, prompting Adrien to peer up at him to see whether or not he would try to stop him.

"Bring something back," he muttered so lowly that Adrien almost didn't hear. Without another word the Gorilla walked around the limo and got in on the driver's side. Adrien balked for a few seconds in disbelief; he didn't think the Gorilla would actually let him stray off his schedule, not even for a few minutes. Not to mention he was going in a _bakery_ , something his personal dietician would have a conniption about if she knew.

Maybe he was allowed to go because Nathalie wasn't accompanying his bodyguard. Either way, Adrien wasn't about to take this opportunity for granted. He turned and speed-walked to the bakery, not looking back as he opened the door.

The bell jingled, signaling his arrival. As the heavenly aroma of freshly-baked sweets invaded his senses, his eyes immediately found Marinette, who was behind the counter with her back to him. Nathanael turned around briefly, his own eyes widening once he recognized who came in.

Huh. He actually looked a bit afraid, there. Maybe he wasn't as oblivious as the teachers thought and he did take careful notice of his surroundings. Maybe he noticed Adrien's admiration of the girl currently behind the counter, however subtle he was. Maybe he was nervous that Adrien was about to do something about it.

He smirked as he took a few more steps deeper inside.

"I'll be right with you!" Marinette chimed, still not looking to see who had come in.

He noticed her fiddling around with something, something that he couldn't see since her body was in the way. Not that he was complaining, by any means. He allowed himself a quick perusal before staring innocently at one of the display cases. He still considered himself a gentleman.

Well, besides the fact that he stole stuff. Besides that, he was a gentleman through and through.

"Okay, that'll be-"

Marinette's voice prompted him to look up, and as he did he found himself staring right into the blue eyes that frequented his dreams at night. Snapping himself out of his stupor, he smiled and waved, the perfect picture of a friend casually greeting another.

"Uh…t-that'll be…" she stuttered, seemingly not able to take her eyes off of him. He tilted his head, his smile beginning to morph into a grin.

Marinette momentarily closed her eyes and took a breath before telling the price of whatever Nathanael wanted.

"Thank you, Marinette," he heard Nathanael say, and with it the tips of his ears turn pink. Adrien's lips thinned to a line, already wanting the redhead out of the bakery.

"You're welcome," she replied cheerily, and Adrien thought that would be the end of the interaction. Instead, he heard Nathanael ask about a ring.

A ring? Adrien looked back just in time to see Marinette shove the ring on her necklace back inside the front of her shirt.

So she was still wearing it, huh? The knowledge brought a smug smirk to his face.

"Uh-ah-no! I-I mean yes!" she stuttered, clearly torn as for what to say. Adrien couldn't help but find the situation amusing, and at least a little satisfying. She _was_ wearing _his_ ring, after all.

He saw her eyes flicker toward him briefly before shifting back to Nathanael.

"It's just a ring I designed," she answered. "I think it turned out well!"

If Adrien didn't already know the truth, he might've believed her.

"So, a boy didn't give it to you?" Nathanael asked quietly, shyly.

Adrien's jaw tightened as his arms folded together. What kind of a question was that?

"Nope!"

Adrien's mood darkened even more by her refusal. In hindsight, it wouldn't have been good for her to admit that yes, a boy did give the ring to her, which would then lead her to explain who that boy was. But it still didn't feel particularly good, being practically dismissed like that.

"M-Marinette? I-I…so you don't have anyone special in your life?" Nathanael spoke, hardly able to get the words out.

Adrien's nails pressed into closed fists as it took all of his inner restraint not to hiss at his fellow classmate. Yes, she did have someone special in her life: him!

But he couldn't do anything. He was Adrien, not Chat Noir. There wasn't a damn thing he could do, and it only served to infuriate him even more.

"Umm," Marinette mumbled, his inner rage temporarily cooling at the sight of her biting her lip and staring down at the counter. "Not really, at the moment."

His anger shifted into concern for her; she was rather in a tight spot with Nathanael not easing up on the personal questions. Now all he wanted was to drag Nathanael out by his shirt collar for virtually backing her into a corner like that.

"Marinette," Nathanael spoke, all traces of nervousness gone. "I was wondering-"

Adrien's eyebrows furrowed when he guessed how that question was likely to end.

"Some of us have other things to do," he interrupted, perhaps a bit too harshly, but frankly he didn't really care anymore. He just wanted Nathanael gone at this point.

Nathanael turned around, appearing surprised by his outburst. Adrien didn't relent on the glare aimed on him, conveying the hidden warning to not finish his request.

Understanding seemed to dawn on his face as a brief flicker of fear flashed in his eyes. He quickly turned back around, slammed some money on the counter and hastily took the box.

"Um, I'll see you in class tomorrow," he bid prior to running out of the bakery.

Adrien felt a bit bad, but it was vastly overshadowed by the feeling of satisfaction of having his temporary rival gone. His head had turned to see Nathanael running out, and so was prompted to look back to Marinette once she started talking.

"I-I'm sorry you were left waiting so long. I didn't think, and you must have a photoshoot-"

Her cheeks were flushed as she stuttered out the apology, her fingers twisting together and damn was it not one of the cutest things he's ever seen.

A warn, easy grin naturally curled his lips.

"It's alright. Sorry if I got a little impatient back there, it's a horrible flaw." He chuckled, hoping it would further lighten the mood. "I just couldn't wait to try one of these pastries, they all smell so good."

That wasn't a lie; he was hit with the sweet, sugary scents as soon as he walked through the door.

Marinette smiled wider as her cheeks darkened into a more distinct red.

"Thank you, I'll tell my parents you said that."

"You're welcome," he replied easily and began to browse the all the different treats on display in the cases. Everything looked delicious, he wished he was able to come in here sooner.

After a few more seconds of awkward silence, he felt compelled to speak.

"I was able to convince the Gorilla to let me stop by here before my photoshoot," he started conversationally with a small chuckle. He knew she thought it was amusing whenever he referred to his bodyguard/driver by that nickname.

And Marinette didn't disappoint, soon after the tinkling sound of her giggling began to fill the air. He paused in his perusing of the sweets to look at her out of the corner of his eye, grinning smugly.

"So," she spoke, calming down and clearing her throat before continuing. "Anything in particular you're looking for?"

"Not really." He shrugged. The Gorilla wasn't specific on what to bring him back. He turned back to her, smiling. "What do you recommend?"

An attractive hue of pink shone on her cheeks.

"We-well macarons are a classic, and not that fattening." Suddenly her eyes widened and she gasped, and for a moment Adrien didn't understand what was wrong, until she continued talking. "N-not that you're fat! You're not fat at all! You're in good shape, great shape! You have nice muscles and-"

And he didn't get to hear any more of her opinions on his looks, because it was then that she pressed her lips together and stayed absolutely silent.

She thought she offended him at first, which she didn't, so she felt she had to make it up by somehow backtracking and complimenting him in the process.

So she thought he was in great shape and had nice muscles, huh?

A smirk slowly etched its way on his face, curling deeper by the rapid rate of Marinette's face delving into a deeper red.

"I'm so sorry!" she squeaked. Honestly, it looked like she wanted nothing more than a hole to swallow her up.

He decided to relent on any possible teasing in favor of just agreeing to get macarons, in a nice, friendly way that gave no indication of him hearing her rambling from only seconds before. He did feel a bit bad on her behalf and didn't want her to feel any worse.

"I-I'll get them for you then! H-how many?"

"Five will be good. Oh, and with buttercream filling, please."

In the rare times he had macarons, he remembered that they were always buttercream-filled.

"S-sure! O-of course!"

While she was getting his order ready, he couldn't resist in making at least one little flirtation. He leaned an elbow on the counter, in a typical model pose, and used his hand to make sure his hair was perfectly tamed without a strand out of place.

When she turned to hand over the box he saw her pause, her gaze moving from his eyes, to his elbow currently against the counter, back to his face again. She fumbled for words, but was soon enough ready to tell him the price.

With a grin, he reached into his pants pocket to retrieve the money from his wallet. After getting more than what was necessary, he carefully deposited it into her hand, making sure to brush his fingertips against her palm as he brought his hand back.

Her mouth parted as she stared unblinkingly at him for a few seconds. She seemed to snap out of it a few moments later when she moved to get his change. However, he stopped her by lightly touching her wrist holding the money.

If it was possible, her skin flushed even more.

"Keep the change," he said, accompanied with a wink. He picked up the box and strolled out of the bakery, fighting against himself to not turn around and give her one last departing look. He wanted to appear unaffected by what happened, even though it was totally the opposite. He was sure his heart was about to burst out of his chest.

Good thing he had all those years of modelling experience so his true feelings didn't show when he didn't want them to.

The Gorilla was sitting in the driver's seat of the limo when Adrien went back for him. He slipped inside in the back and opened the box, picking out a light blue macaron and holding it out for his bodyguard.

"Thanks for letting me go," he spoke, feeling truly grateful for the usually unwavering man.

The Gorilla nodded, the ghost of a smile on his lips as he took the offered pastry.

A low hum emanated from his throat after he took the first bite. Eating the rest in another, he started the limo and drove back to the mansion so his charge could prepare for the photoshoot.

* * *

 **I'm sorry it took me so long to write this, I'm honestly not really motivated about this story anymore. But I will finish it, I promise!**


End file.
